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No   member   of   the    School   is   to  be 

in  using  this  book,  and  punctual  in  re 
turn  ng  it-     To  injure   a  library   book 
nr  to  retain  it  lon-er  than  is  right,  is  to 
do  antj^ry  to  others  which  cannot  be 
easily  repaired. 


y"? 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE 


HOLY   LAND. 


BY 


REV.  DAVID  VAN   HORNE,  D.D., 

author  of 
'the  mountain  boy  of  wildhaus;  a  life  of  ulric  zwinuli,"  etc. 


philadelphia : 
The  American  Sunday- School  Union, 

1122   CHESTNUT   STREET. 

18  85. 


Copyright 
By  The  American  Sunday-School  Union,  1885. 


PREFACE. 


Our  chief  interest  in  the  Holy  Land  arises  from 
its  association  with  the  Bible.  The  country  once 
trodden  by  the  patriarchs,  judges,  kings  and 
prophets,  and  by  the  Saviour  himself  and  the 
apostles,  cannot  fail  to  attract  the  attention  of 
travellers  and  readers  in  each  generation.  Be- 
sides this  the  face  of  the  country  is  diversified, 
and  the  scenery  of  more  than  passing  interest. 

After  our  passage  tickets  had  been  purchased 
a  rumor  of  the  outbreak  of  the  plague,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  threatened  to  interfere 
with  our  journey.  The  consequent  falling  off  in 
the  number  of  travellers  eventually  proved  an  ad- 
vantage to  our  small  party  of  three  clergymen, 
since  we  enjoyed  quite  a  monopoly  of  the  ar- 
rangements made  for  a  larger  number,  giving  us 
a  choice  of  guides,  provisions  and  horses.  We 
were  also  more  free  to  make  little  excursions 
aside  from  the  main  lines  of  travel,  and  could  ob- 
tain full  replies  to  our  questions  from  the  drag- 
omans. A  kind  Providence  preserved  us  from 
the  rumored  pestilence. 

The  results  of  our  observations  there  are  laid 


IV  PREFACE. 

before  the  reader  in  the  following  pages.  Many 
travellers  have  gone  over  these  pathways  of  the 
Holy  Land,  and  have  given  valuable  descriptions 
of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants.  Each  observer 
gains  new  views,  his  descriptions  shed  fresh  light 
upon  the  teachings  of  Scripture,  and  thus,  as  by 
work  on  a  grand  mosaic,  the  picture  of  the  land 
is  to  be  gradually  completed. 

The  incidents  of  tent  and  saddle  life  narrated 
here  may  serve  to  interest  youthful  readers,  and 
are  inserted  in  the  hope  of  securing  their  atten- 
tion. The  experiences  in  camp,  and  the  novelty 
of  the  sights  by  the  wayside,  the  strange  dress 
and  manners  of  the  people,  and  the  old-fashioned 
methods  of  labor  and  travel,  kept  us  constantly 
on  the  alert,  and  we  trust  that  some  of  this  in- 
terest will  be  shared  by  the  reader. 

The  critical  notes  furnished  by  Rev.  Edwin  W. 
Rice,  D.D.,  Editor  of  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union,  add  largely  to  the  value  of  the 
book  for  the  advanced  reader.  In  them  will  be 
found  the  results  of  the  latest  researches  of  the 
"  Western  Palestine  Survey,"  "  Condor's  Tent 
Work"  and  other  fresh  authorities.  The  excel- 
lent illustrations  furnished  by  the  publishers 
(many  of  them,  by  permission,  from  Schaff 's  Dic- 
tionary of  the  Bible)  will  lend  additional  interest 
to  the  work. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Landing  at  Jaffa, 9 

CHAPTER  II. 
Sharon  and  Ramleh, 22 

CHAPTER  III. 
Going  up  to  Jerusalem, 37 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Sights  on  Mount  Moriah, 54 

CHAPTER  V. 
Tour  to  Hebron, .78 

CHAPTER   VI. 
From  Hebron  to  Bethlehem, 104 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Walks  about  Zion, 116 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
Olivet  and  Bethany, 130 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Tour  to  Mizpeh  and  Gibeon, 143 

CHAPTER  X. 

Tour  to  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  Jordan,        ,       ,    161 


^ 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X'l. 

PAGE 

From  Jericho  to  the  Valley  of  Baca,    .        .       .183 

CHAPTER  XII. 
From  Baca  to  the  Vale  of  Nablus,        .       .       .201 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
From  Nablus  to  Jenin 221 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Around  the  Great  Plain  of  Esdraelon,        .       .    236 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Nazareth, .        .        .    255 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
Tabor  and  Tiberias, 271 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Around  the  Lake  of  Galilee — The  Plain  of  Gen- 

nesaret, 285 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Around  the  Lake  of  Galilee— Bethsaida  and  Ca- 
pernaum,          302 

CHAPTER   XIX. 
The  Valley  of  the  Huleh, 319 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Dan  and  Banias, 332 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


American  Consulate  at  Jerusalem,    ....      Frontispiece. 

Yafa  (Joppa)  from  the  Sea, .11 

Exterior  of  the  supposed  House  of  Simon  the  Tanner,    .         .  14 

Traditional  Tomb  of  Dorcas  at  Jaffa, 2-5 

Tower  at  Er-Ramleh, 32 

Inn  or  Khan,              37 

Kuryet  el  Enab  (Kirjath-jearim) 44 

The  Interior  of  the  Jaffa  Gate, 53 

Modern  Jerusalem,    . 55 

The  Mosque  of  Omar  and  the  Ilarani  Area,     ....  GO 

Eastern  Wall  of  Jerusalem  and  Muslim  Tombs,      ...  67 

Traditional  Pool  of  Bethesda, 70 

Ecce  Homo  Arch,  Via  Dolorosa, 75 

The  Wailing-place  of  the  Jews, 77 

Tomb  of  Rachel,  near  Bethlehem, 82 

Eastern  Mourners  at  the  Grave, 83 

Solomon's  Pools, 87 

Eastern  Sheepfold, 90 

Eastern  Plough 93 

View  of  Hebron  from  the  South,       ......  97 

Mosque  at  Hebron,  covering  the  Cave  at  Machpelah,       .         .  99 

Vineyard  in  Syria, 105 

Bethlehem, 109 

View  of  Jerusalem  from  the  South, 117 

Tomb  of  David, 121 

Pool  of  Hezekiah,  inside  the  Jaffa  Gate,  .         .         .         .         .122 

Interior  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,        .        .        .  125 

Pool  of  Siloam, 131 

Absalom's  Tomb, 132 

Mount  of  Olives, 134 

Bethany, 137 

Tomb  of  the  Judges, 144 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


El  Jib  (Gibeon),       . 

Rolling  Stone  before  Tomb, 

Needle's  Eye,     . 

The  Salt  or  Dead  Sea, 

Pilgrim's  Bathing-place — Tlie  River  Jord 

Reeds, 

Inhabitants  and  Dwellings  at  Eriha, 

'Ain  es  Sultan,  or  Fountain  of  Elisha 

The  Dead  Sea  from  Jebel  Usdum,  south  c 

Sycamore, 

Mountains  of  Moab, 

Seilun  (ancient  Shiloh), 

Jacob's  Well,     . 

Nablus  (Shechem),    . 

Ruins  of  the  Colonnade  of  Samaria, 

Zer'in  (site  of  ancient  Jezreel), 

Date-palm,         ... 

Nazareth,  .... 

Place  of  Elijah's  Sacrifice, 

Lily,  .... 

Scarlet  Lily, 

Mount  Tabor,    . 

The  Sea  of  Galilee  from  Tiberias, 

Sketch  Map  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 

Gennesaret  from  Khan  Minieh, 

Tent  Life,  .... 

Mill  at  Tabighah,      . 

Fish  of  Galilee, 

Ruins  at  Tell  Hum,  . 

Lake  Huleh,  or  Waters  of  Merom,  from  I 

Yoke  in  Use  in  Palestine, 

Women  Grinding  at  the  Mill  in  the  East 

Sources  of  the  Jordan,  near  Banias, 

Banias,  or  Caesarea-Philippi,     . 


an, 


nd, 


lie  Southwest 


150 
157 
160 
169 
173 
175 
179 
183 
188 
190 
195 
204 
211 
220 
228 
237 
239 
254 
260 
265 
265 
270 
281 
286 
299 
301 
305 
308 
310 
324 
325 
335 
341 
345 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE 


HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER   I. 


LANDING    AT    JAFFA. 


A  LONG  stretch  of  sandy  coast  overhung  by  a 
steel-gray  sky,  with  glintings  of  the  sunrise  be- 
hind it ;  a  town  perched  upon  a  rocky  promon- 
tory, with  houses  reaching  down  to  the  water's 
edge, — this  is  what  we  behehl  from  the  deck  of 
the  steamer  off  the  port  of  Yafa  or  Jaffa.  It  was 
the  morning  of  the  last  day  of  March,  and,  as  is 
usual  at  that  season,  scuds  of  wind  and  rain  were 
sweeping  up  and  over  the  coast  of  Philistia.  The 
sea  was  rough,  and  the  prospect  of  getting  safe 
to  shore  anything  but  assuring.  Here  was  the 
entry  port  to  the  Holy  Land,  the  very  "  gate  "  of 
the  "gorgeous  East,"  which,  night  and  day,  by 
sea  and  land,  we  had  been  seeking,  and  all  the 
spice  of  adventure,  the  view  of  ancient  sites  and 


10  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

holy  places,  the  life  of  tent  and  saddle,  which  had 
been  long  in  anticipation,  lay  beyond  this  gate- 
way to  Palestine. 

And  so  the  half  mile  of  surf  between  us  and 
the  land  must  be  crossed,  however  hazardous  the 
experiment.  It  was  somewhere  here  that  the 
prophet  Jonah  was  in  deadly  peril,  and  we  had 
often  read  that  this  port  was  unsafe  for  landing 
passengers ;  but,  despite  all  this,  we  must  make 
the  venture.  The  crew  of  our  vessel  had  scarcely 
cast  the  anchor  ere  we  beheld  a  number  of  clumsy 
boats,  with  four  oars  and  a  helm  to  each,  putting 
out  from  the  shore.  By  this  time  the  sea  was 
running  high,  and  as  the  rollers  swept  over  the 
jagged  reef  which  fringes  the  coast,  there  was 
danger  that  the  boats  would  be  upset  or  dashed 
in  pieces.  One  by  one,  however,  they  passed 
through  the  narrow  opening  in  the  reef,  and,  in  a 
staggering  way,  came  on,  to  our  vessel.  After 
many  of  the  boats  filled  with  the  pilgrim  passen- 
gers from  amidship  had  departed,  ten  cabin  pas- 
sengers, ourselves  among  the  number,  were  handed 
rather  unceremoniously  into  the  craft  awaiting  us. 

We  were  soon  tossed  up  and  down  like  an  egg- 
shell on  the  angry  surf,  which  frequently  dashed 
into  the  boat,  and  withal  a  heavy  shower  came 
on,  and  wet  us  through  and  through.  At  last  we 
were  driven  through  the  narrow  passage  between 


(11) 


LANDING  A  T  JAFFA.  13 

the  reefs,  and  by  the  mercy  of  a  favoring  prov- 
idence reached  the  land  in  safety.  Upon  leaving 
the  wharf,  we  were  huddled  together  in  a  dark 
cellar,  named  by  courtesy  a  custom-house,  and, 
dripping  wet  as  we  were,  waited  until  our  lug- 
gage was  examined  with  a  "  silver  key."  Through 
the  one  narrow,  slippery  street  we  next  went  to 
the  "  Mediterranean  Hotel,"  far  distant  in  the 
German  suburb. 

According  to  Josephus,  Jaffa  originally  belonged 
to  the  Phoenicians.  It  has  had  a  secular  as  well 
as  a  sacred  history,  and  from  remote  times  has 
been  the  sea-port  of  southern  Palestine.  Its 
name  originally  meant  "  delightful "  or  '•  beau- 
tiful," in  the  same  sense  conveyed  by  the  He- 
brew word  used  by  Solomon  in  the  "Canticles."* 
From  this  came  the  name  "  Japho,"  used  in  the 
days  when  Hiram  landed  here  his  rafts  of  cedar 
for  Solomon's  temple  at  Jerusalem. f  Still  later, 
in  the  time  of  Jonah,  it  was  known  as  Joppa, 
as  it  was  also  in  the  days  of  the  apostle  Peter. 

As  may  be  imagined,  the  sad  plight  we  were 
in  did  not  favor  sight-seeing  during  this  our 
first  walk  in  Palestine.  We  hastened  to  the 
shelter  awaiting  us,  thankful  for  the  comfort  of  a 
fire  and  a  change  of  garments.  Luncheon  was 
soon  prepared  and   despatched,  and,   the   storm 

*  Solomon's  Song  6:4.  f  2  Chronicles  2:16. 


14 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


having  now  passed  away,  we  sallied  forth  to  ex- 
amine the  few  points  of  interest  in  Jaffa.  We 
found  the  streets  still  wet  and  slippery  from  the 
recent  shower,  and  as  they  were  paved  for  only 
part  of  the  distance,  and  in  that  part  only  with 
cobble  or  field  stones,  we  found  the  walking  any- 
thing but  pleasant. 


Exterior  OF  Till    ■-ri  pu^i  i)  llm -i    oi    mmon  mi    1  v\ner.    {Yiova.  SchajgTs 
Ihtlmnary  vj  the  Bibh,  l)>  pcrniis-.iou  ) 

The  open  space  is  the  little  courtyard  at  the  rear  of  the  house,  between  the  house 
and  the  wall  overlooking  the  sea.  The  spectator  has  his  back  to  the  sea. 
The  well  from  which  Peter  is  said  to  have  baptized  is  sunk  in  the  ground  on 
the  right.  < 

Under  the  conduct  of  our  guide,  we  first  visited 
the  traditional  site  of  the  house  of  Simon  the 
tanner,  mentioned  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.* 
The  house,  in  part  at  least,  is  a  modern  structure, 
built,  like  the  surrounding  dwellings,  of  stone, 
with  a  flat  roof,  having  a  little  low  dome  in  the 
centre.  Upon  entering  it,  we  found  a  large  stone 
trough  in  the  lower  story,  at  one  end  of  which 

*  Acts  9  :  43  :  10  :  6. 


LA NDING  AT  JAFFA.  15 

was  a  well,  with  an  old  axle  having  four  arms  by 
which  it  was  turned  in  drawing  water.  This 
well,  it  is  alleged,  was  anciently  used  by  Simon 
in  his  trade,  but  now  seems  to  be  used  only  for 
the  ordinary  purposes  of  a  household.  The  prop- 
erty is  in  the  possession  of  the  Mohammedans, 
who  have  set  apart  one  room  as  a  place  of  prayer. 
This  room  was  small  and  poorly  lighted,  dingy 
and  altogether  uninviting. 

From  this  point  we  ascended  to  the  roof  by  an 
ancient  flight  of  stone  steps,  which  may  indeed, 
with  the  foundations  of  the  building,  have  come 
down  from  the  times  of  the  apostles.  From  the 
roof  we  enjoyed  a  very  fine  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding buildings,  and  the  yet  turbulent  sea 
breaking  upon  the  ragged  edges  of  the  reef, 
where  we  had  so  lately  made  our  dangerous 
passage. 

We  were  reminded  of  the  classical  story  of 
Andromeda,  who  has  a  constellation  of  stars 
named  after  her,  who,  according  to  the  myth,  was 
chained  to  these  very  rocks  upon  which  we  were 
gazing.  The  story  runs  that  Neptune,  being  en- 
raged because  the  mother  of  Andromeda  had 
boasted  that  she  was  herself  more  beautiful  than 
any  of  his  nymphs,  sent  a  frightful  sea  monster 
to  ravage  the  country.  The  oracle  of  Jupiter 
Ammon  had  declared  that  the  only  way  to  ap- 


IG  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

pease  the  anger  of  Neptune  was  to  expose  An- 
dromeda to  the  devouring  monster,  which  was 
accordingly  done.  At  the  critical  moment  Per- 
seus appeared,  and  of  course  set  the  maiden  free, 
and  afterward  married  her.  The  lively  imagina- 
tion of  the  Greeks  still  impresses  itself  upon  the 
world's  attention,  for  we  read  this  story  in  the 
constellations  which  adorn  the  northern  heavens 
each  clear  November  evening.  Whether  the  old 
sea  monster  were  still  raging  around  Jaffa  on  the 
day  of  our  visit  or  not,  true  it  was  that,  like  the 
fair  Andromeda,  we  were  in  peril  among  these 
rocks,  although  we  were  not  in  chains  as  she  is 
reputed  to  have  been. 

From  the  recollection  of  this  ancient  legend, 
or  "fable"  as  Josephus  calls  it,*  our  minds  re- 
verted to  the  glorious  fact  recorded  in  Scripture 
that  Peter  was  praying  here,  near  this  very  spot, 
when  he  had  the  vision  in  which  he  saw  the 
heaven  opened  and  a  vessel  descending  upon  the 
earth,  wherein  were  all  manner  of  four-footed 
beasts  and  creeping  things  and  fowls  of  heaven. 
In  this  "  vision  of  toleration,"  as  it  has  well  been 
named,  Peter  was  instructed  to  hold  fellowship 
with  Gentile  converts  to  •  Christianity  in  the 
words,  "What  God  hath  cleansed,  that  call  not 
thou  common."f    Here  at  Jaffa,  where  the  Jewish 

*  Wars  of  Jews  3  :  9,  2  3.  f  Acts  10  :  11-15. 


LANDING  AT  JAFFA.  17 

nation  came  in  contact  with  the  outside  workl,  it 
was  fitting  that  this  remarkable  revelation  should 
be  made.  The  vast  consequences  which  have 
flowed  from  that  single  event,  and  the  bearing  it 
has  had  upon  us  who  are  of  Gentile  exti"action, 
must  secure  for  Jaffa  and  the  house  of  Simon  the 
tanner  a  lasting  place  in  the  world's  history. 

The  roof  of  this  building  aiforded  us  a  com- 
manding view  of  the  whole  coast-line  north  and 
south.  A  court  or  yard  is  attached  to  the  house, 
with  a  low  wall  at  its  farther  side,  against  which 
the  waves  dash  in  rough  weather;  and  within 
the  court  is  the  well  used,  as  is  said,  for  a  long 
time  for  the  purposes  of  the  tanner.  We  could 
see  no  good  reason  for  doubting  the  tradition 
which  locates  Peter's  vision  at  or  near  this  place, 
though  its  identity  has  often  been  questioned. 

On  our  way  back  to  the  hotel  we  passed  a  fine 
building,  beautifully  situated  upon  the  high  prom- 
ontory, where  the  school  of  Miss  Arnold,  an 
English  lady,  maintains  its  well-earned  reputa- 
tion. Besides  this  institution  Jaffa  boasts  of 
three  convents,  each  of  which  represents  one  of 
the  three  Christian  sects  most  numerous  in  Pal- 
estine— the  Greek,  the  Latin  and  the  Armenian ; 
and  in  addition  it  has  two  or  three  Mohammedan 
mosques.  The  whole  population  probably  does 
not  exceed  five  thousand. 

2 


18  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

Near  the  city  gate  we  found  the  bazaar,  or 
market-place  for  the  sale  of  breadstuffs  and  the 
fruits  for  which  the  place  has  ever  been  famous ; 
and  just  beyond  the  city  gate,  where  the  road  to 
the  northeast  diverges  from  the  road  to  Ramleh, 
we  found  the  horse-market.  Here  are  the  stables 
of  the  muleteers,  where  tourists,  unless  otherwise 
provided  for,  must  pass  the  ordeal  of  obtaining 
escorts  and  animals  to  convey  them  to  Jerusalem. 
The  mixed  multitude  were  bargaining  in  horses, 
camels  and  donkeys. 

All  traces  of  the  late  shower  had  now  passed 
away,  and  the  native  dragomans,  with  gay  tar- 
booshes on  their  heads,  flaming  sashes  about 
their  waists,  booted  and  spurred  like  knights  of 
errantry,  were  hurrying  hither  and  thither  in 
preparation  for  the  departure  of  the  caravans. 
At  another  point  a  lady  tourist  was  mounted  on 
a  sorry-looking  steed,  testing  the  qualities  of  the 
animal,  while  the  eloquent  guide  assured  her  of 
his  entire  trustworthiness,  a  fact  which  even  the 
casual  observer  would  not  dispute.  The  scene 
was  altogether  novel;  the  peculiar  costumes, 
mixed  language  and  dashing  horsemanship  of  the 
natives  affording  us  an  anticipation  of  rich  ex- 
periences in  this  line  yet  in  store  for  us. 

Jaffa  does  not  differ  from  other  sea-ports  in 
having  people  within  its  walls  of  different  nation- 


LANDING  AT  JAFFA.  19 

alities,  and  unfortunately  this  leads  to  lawless- 
ness and  more  or  less  disorder  in  society,  which 
the  Turkish  authorities  as  usual  are  unable  to 
control  or  suppress.  Accordingly  there  is  but 
slight  security  here  for  life  and  property,  and  but 
little  inducement  for  strangers  to  take  up  their 
permanent  abode  either  in  the  town  or  the  fine 
country  districts  surrounding  it. 

The  attempts  at  colonization  here  and  at  Jeru- 
salem, made  at  different  times  since  the  days  of 
the  Crusades,  have  signally  failed.  In  1866  forty 
families  came  to  Jaffa  from  the  state  of  Maine, 
and  formed  what  was  known  as  the  American 
colony.  Their  motive  appears  to  have  been 
partly  religious  and  partly  secular.  They  thought 
it  the  duty  of  Christians  in  other  countries  to 
occupy  the  Holy  Land — not  by  conquest,  as  was 
the  thought  of  the  Crusaders,  but  by  purchase — 
and  by  careful  tillage  to  restore  the  soil  to  its 
ancient  fertility. 

The  chief  drawback  to  this  venture  was  not  in 
any  natural  defect  of  the  climate  or  soil,  for  both 
are  most  favorable  to  the  purposes  of  immigra- 
tion. The  plain  of  Sharon  evidently  is  an  ex- 
cellent soil  for  wheat,  millet  and  other  crops,  and 
here  as  fine  orange  orchards  are  found  as  one  can 
see  in  the  state  of  Florida  or  elsewhere.  But 
the  sole  obstacle  to  immigration  and  prosperity 


20  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

here  is  the  lack  of  good  government.  No  farmer 
can  live  in  a  land  where  he  has  no  protection  for 
his  family,  his  crops  or  his  cattle. 

After  a  few  years  the  American  colony  fell 
into  great  poverty,  and  its  members  would  gladly 
have  returned  had  they  had  the  means.  At  last 
a  wealthy  traveller,  who  saw  their  pitiable  con- 
dition, paid  the  passage  homeward  of  many  sick 
women  and  children,  and  sent  them  back  to 
America.  A  few,  however,  remained,  and  their 
sons,  who  can  speak  both  Arabic  and  English, 
are  now  serving  as  guides  to  travellers. 

A  German  colony  also  came  here  in  1868  from 
Wurtemberg,  which  formed  a  sect  known  as  the 
"  German  Temple."  Their  distinctive  doctrine, 
founded  on  some  of  the  prophecies,  is  that  Chris- 
tians are  under  an  obligation  to  settle  in  Pales- 
tine. They  number  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
souls,  part  of  whom  live  at  Sarona,  two  miles 
northeastward  and  not  far  from  Sir  M.  Monte- 
fiore's  garden. 

There  is  another  German  colony  at  Jerusalem, 
founded  by  Rev.  Christopher  Hoffman,  that  came 
there  some  years  since  with  the  thought  of  pre- 
paring for  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  which 
they  believed  to  be  near  at  hand.  There  is  also 
a  colony  of  four  hundred  Germans  near  Haifa, 
under  the  shadow  of  Mount  Carmel.     They  are 


LANDING  AT  JAFFA.  21 

said  to  cultivate  about  one  thousand  acres  of  fair 
land  lying  between  the  mountain  and  the  sea, 
while  up  its  steep  slopes  vineyards  are  terraced 
by  their  labor,  as  was  the  custom  in  Palestine 
years  ago. 

Besides  these  there  are  many  other  persons  in 
the  land  who,  like  Lady  Stanhope,  hold  extreme 
or  fanciful  views  on  religious  topics.  Many  Jews 
also  find  their  way  thither  from  Russia  and  other 
lands,  under  the  hope  that  the  ancient  people  of 
God  will  soon  be  restored  to  their  beloved  coun- 
try and  capital  city.  To  this  end  societies  have 
been  organized,  periodicals  issued  and  explorers 
sent  forward  to  inspect  the  country ;  but  as  yet 
no  assured  progress  has  been  made,  nor  does  it 
seem  that  the  way  is  open  for  successful  coloni- 
zation at  the  present  time. 

With  our  one  day's  experience  and  observation 
we  were  quite  willing  to  bid  farewell  to  the  little 
city  by  the  sea ;  and  as  we  had  planned  to  leave 
the  country  at  a  northern  port,  it  was  our  final 
adieu  to  Jafl'a. 


CHAPTER  II. 


SHARON    AND   RAMLEH. 


Along  the  narrow  lane,  bordered  by  a  stone 
fence,  which  leads  up  to  the  Mediterranean  Hotel 
at  Jaffa,  we  found  our  horses  ready  saddled  for 
our  afternoon's  ride  toward  Jerusalem.  If  we 
had  cherished  any  anticipations  that  we  were  to 
be  mounted  on  fiery  Arabian  steeds,  on  which  to 
give  the  natives  an  idea  of  an  American's  skill  in 
horsemanship  while  passing  through  their  coun- 
try, the  idea  was  quickly  dispelled  when  we  saw 
these  animals.  Not  that  the  horses  were  poor  or 
unsightly,  but  evidently  they  were  not  thorough- 
breds. We  could  not  trace  a  single  line  in  their 
build  which  bespoke  the  mettlesome  charger.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  whole  group  seemed  very 
much  at  home  in  their  present  position,  and  as 
they  stood  along  the  sunny  side  of  the  wall,  nod- 
ding sleepily,  or  resting  their  heads  upon  each 
other's  haunches,  we  could  not  see  that  they  dif- 
fered much  from  the  ordinary  work-horses  of 
America. 

But,  as  has  often  been  remarked,  one  cannot 
always  trust  to  outward  appearances ;  and  some 

(22) 


SHARON  AND  RAMLEH.  23 

of  our  party,  not  exactly  certain  of  their  eques- 
trian skill,  were  already  casting  longing  eyes  upon 
the  more  sleepy-looking  animals,  wishing  that  one 
of  these  might  fall  to  them  in  the  allotment.  A 
horse  in  repose  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  a 
horse  in  action ;  and  who  could  tell  what  one  of 
these  peaceful-looking  animals  might  do  when  he 
found  a  strange  and  an  indifferent  rider  upon  his 
back,  as  he  snuffed  his  native  mountain  air  on  his 
way  up  to  Jerusalem  ?  All  reflections  upon  the 
subject  were  cut  short  by  the  sudden  appearance 
of  the  guide,  who  commanded  all  to  mount  and 
allotted  the  animal  to  be  used  by  each  rider.  As 
it  frequently  turns  out  in  human  affairs,  either  the 
ambition  to  ride  swiftly,  or  the  fear  of  falling  off, 
on  the  part  of  the  riders,  was  not  fully  realized 
that  day,  but  each  traveller  found  enough  to  do 
in  urging  his  horse  onward  in  order  to  keep  up 
with  the  party. 

Beside  our  party  of  three  Americans,  we  now 

had  an  English  gentleman,  Mr.  H ,  and  Mr. 

Lemaitre,  a  young  gentleman  from  Paris,  mounted 
in  company  with  us.  An  assistant  guide,  named 
John  (of  whom  more  hereafter),  went  before  us 
in  dashing  style  through  the  crowded  little  bazaar 
and  led  us  out  by  the  highway  eastward.  On 
either  side  the  road  was  bordered  by  hedges  of 
cactus  or  thorn,  of  luxuriant  growth,  behind  which 


24  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

were  the  famous  orange  orchards.  We  could  see 
the  trees,  now  adorned  with  spring  blossoms, 
while  the  green,  the  half-ripened  and  the  great 
golden  matured  fruit  hung  upon  the  bending 
branches,  or  lay  upon  the  ground  ready  for  the 
hand  of  the  gatherer.  The  oranges  of  Jaffa  are 
the  finest  in  Palestine  and  Syria.  It  is  said 
that  its  pomegranates  and  watermelons  are  like- 
wise in  high  repute,  and  its  gardens  and  orange 
and  citron  groves  are  indeed  fragrant  at  this 
season. 

Having  passed  the  orange  groves,  we  soon  came 
to  the  forks  of  the  road,  and  just  in  the  angle  we 
found  the  structure  which  marks  the  supposed 
site  of  the  tomb  of  Dorcas.  According  to  tra- 
dition this  is  the  place  where  the  miracle  was 
wrought  by  Peter  restoring  the  good  woman  to 
life  while  the  lamentations  were  in  progress  pre- 
vious to  her  funeral.*  The  building  is  of  fair 
size,  one  story  in  height,  and  is  ornamented  with 
three  small  domes  and  two  small  minarets.  An 
arch,  enclosing  a  sort  of  niche,  adorns  the  other- 
wise solid  masonry  of  the  front,  and  is  flanked  by 
a  twin  window  on  either  side.  Tall  and  graceful 
'cedar  trees,  on  either  side  of  the  tomb,  lend  their 
solemn   shade  and  heighten  the  beauty  of  the 

*  Acts  9  :  36-43. 


Traditional  Tomb  of  Dokcas,  at  Jaffa. 


(26) 


SHARON  AND  RAMLEH.  27 

place.  It  seems  fitting  that  this  remarkably  be- 
nevolent woman,  whose  good  works  were  honored 
by  her  own  people  and  have  been  commemorated 
by  thousands  of  Christian  societies  in  later  ages, 
should  thus  have  her  tomb  on  this  beautiful  plain 
of  Sharon.  The  fruits  of  holy  living  which  she 
exemplified  were  grander,  to  be  sure,  than  the 
grain  and  fruits  of  this  fertile  plain ;  yet  the  lat- 
ter may  be  taken  as  a  symbol  of  the  former,  so 
that  there  is  a  harmony  between  the  tomb  and  its 
surroundings. 

The  very  air  was  fragrant  with  the  scent  of 
orange  and  citron  blossoms,  wafted  to  us  from  the 
gardens  we  had  just  passed ;  and  this  we  could 
not  help  regarding  as  illustrating  in  a  certain 
sense  the  sweet  memory  of  Dorcas. 

Our  guide  now  directed  us  to  take  the  right- 
hand  road,  passing  by  the  left  which  runs  direct- 
ly to  Lydda,  whence  Peter  came  on  his  way  to 
Joppa.  We  were  now  on  the  main  thoroughfare 
to  Jerusalem,  a  road  broad  and  smooth,  and 
evidently  kept  in  repair  for  the  accommodation 
of  tourists  and  pilgrims.  The  fields  on  either 
side,  while  they  were  destitute  of  fences,  ap- 
peared fresh  and  green,  as  might  be  expected  at 
this  season.  The  growing  crops  were  chiefly 
wheat  and  barley,  the  former  of  a  good  healthful 
hue,  but  slow  of  development,  and  the  latter  "in 


28  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

the  head,"  lacking  but  few  weeks  of  the  harvest. 
The  soil  appeared  fertile,  but  no  great  proportion 
of  it  was  under  tillage ;  and  here  and  there  herds 
of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep  could  be  seen  in 
charge  of  their  keepers. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  country  was  not  un- 
like the  appearance  of  some  of  our  prairie  lands 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  One  exception,  and  only 
one,  occurred  to  us  in  passing,  and  that  was  the 
contrast  in  the  people  and  the  arrangement  of 
their  dwellings.  In  the  far  West  the  traveller  will 
notice  the  cabins  of  the  settlers  sprinkled  about 
here  and  there  upon  their  claims  and  sections; 
but  along  the  highway  in  ancient  Sharon  no  trace 
of  farm  buildings  was  visible.  Where  do  these 
farmers  and  shepherds  have  their  dwellings  ?  The 
guide  pointed  to  the  hills  of  Philistia  looming  up 
on  our  right,  and  informed  us  that  for  the  sake  of 
security  the  people  lived  in  little  hamlets  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  highway.  We  could  now  distin- 
guish their  dwellings  in  groups  perched  up  against 
the  distant  hillsides. 

As  we  moved  forward  at  an  easy  pace  the 
fragment  of  an  old  hymn,  endeared  to  all  from 
childhood's  memory,  spontaneously  suggested  it- 
self— 

"  How  sweet  the  breath  beneath  the  hill 
Of  Sharon's  dewy  rose." 


SHARON  AND  RAMLEH.  29 

We  were  on  the  lookout  for  one  of  these  roses. 


but  found  not  a  single  specimen.  Osborn  says 
that  from  ancient  times  the  rose  has  been  the 
symbol  of  beauty  and  of  loveliness,  and  nowhere 
is  it  valued  more  than  in  the  East.  Some  of  the 
most  pleasing  and  charming  varieties  grow  on  the 
borders  of  the  Mediterranean ;  but  the  double 
roses,  or  at  least  the  varieties,  are  seldom  or 
never  seen  wild.  He  thinks  that  the  famous 
roses  of  Sharon  and  Jericho  were  developed  by 
cultivation.  Dr.  Thomson  suggests  that  the  rose 
of  Sharon  was  a  species  of  the  mallow,  and  others 
think  it  a  narcissus.  We  saw  a  number  of  bril- 
liant flowers  on  the  plain,  but  they  were  mainly 
poppies  and  anemones  ;  could  either  of  them  have 
been  the  successor  of  the  famous  rose  of  Sharon, 
to  which  our  Lord  is  likened  in  the  Canticle  ? 
(2:1). 

The  clatter  of  a  horse's  hoofs  upon  the  smooth, 
hard  roadbed  behind  us  put  our  musings  suddenly 
to  flight.  The  rider,  whoever  he  might  be,  was 
coming  on  at  a  furious  pace.  Even  our  sleepy 
and  steady-going  animals  were  thrown  out  of 
their  sedateness  somewhat,  and  began  shying  and 
prancing  in  a  manner  quite  terrifying  to  the  un- 
initiated among  us.  So  many  stories  have  been 
related  by  travellers  of  the  raids  of  the  Bedawin 
upon  tourists  in  the  Holy  Land  that  we  might 


30  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

have  been  excusable  for  thinking  that  they  were 
even  now  upon  us.  The  fears  of  the  timid,  if  any 
were  in  fear,  were  quickly  dispelled  by  the  sud- 
den appearance  of  our  guide  in  chief,  whom  we 
had  left  behind  in  Jaffa,  mounted  upon  a  coal- 
black  charger  and  spurring  past  us,  almost  with 
the  fleetness  of  the  wind,  and  with  a  shout  chal- 
lenging us  for  a  race.  This  was  the  custom  of  the 
land,  we  learned  subsequently.  Sheikhs,  herds- 
men, guides  and  muleteers  are  all  fond  of  this 
exercise,  and  even  the  donkey  boy,  when  allowed 
to  hold  a  horse  for  a  half  hour,  is  quite  certain  to 
vault  into  the  saddle  and  set  off  on  a  canter. 

After  this  incident  the  whole  party  moved  for- 
ward at  a  quickened  pace,  and  at  five  o'clock  we 
reached  the  village  of  Ramleh.  We  had  now 
made  twelve  miles  of  our  journey,  averaging  four 
miles  to  the  hour,  and  this  was  considered  a  quick 
trip  in  this  country.  As  we  were  to  pass  the 
night  at  this  place  in  order  that  we  might  start 
at  an  early  hour  on  the  morrow  for  Jerusalem,  we 
were  taken  at  once  to  the  ancient  tower,  which  is 
regarded  as  the  object  of  greatest  interest.  Dis- 
mounting at  the  foot  of  the  tower,  we  gave  our 
horses  in  charge  of  the  attendants  and  began  to 
inspect  the  ruins.  We  found  ourselves  in  the 
midst  of  a  large  quadrangular  enclosure,  in  every 
part  of  which  were  to  be  seen  the  fragments  of 


(32) 


Tower  at  Er-Ramleh. 


SHARON  AND  RAMLEH.  33 

what  was  once  solid  masonry.  Here  we  saw  the 
traces  of  former  arches  and  walls  braced  by 
crumbling  buttresses,  while  underneath  were  ex- 
tensive subterranean  Vaults,  still  resting  secure 
on  their  former  foundations.  It  is  supposed  that 
these  are  the  remains  of  what  was  once  a  splen- 
did khan,  where  trnvellers  halted  on  their  jour- 
neys. Opinion  is  divided  as  to  who  were  the 
original  builders  of  all  this  masonry.  Dr.  Robin- 
son, who  investigated  the  historic  evidences  very 
fully,  inclines  to  the  view  that  the  ruin  is  wholly 
Saracenic.  This  is  in  opposition  to  the  traditional 
view  which  has  alwnys  regarded  this  place  as  a 
relic  of  the  former  building  of  the  Crusaders. 

The  tower,  a  great  column  of  masonry,  which 
stands  like  a  grim  sentinel  keeping  watch  over 
the  ruins  at  its  base,  is  over  one  hundred  feet  in 
height,  and  is  still  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation. 
It  is  evidently  of  Saracenic  architecture,  and 
stands  towards  the  northwest  part  of  the  enclos- 
ure. It  is  square  in  structure,  built  of  well-hewn 
stones,  and  its  corners  are  supported  by  tall, 
slender  buttresses.  The  walls  taper  upward  by 
several  stories  to  the  top  ;  and  while  the  windows 
are  of  various  forms,  they  all  have  pointed  arches. 
The  tower,  Dr.  Robinson  thinks,  w-as  originally  a 
minaret — a  lofty  structure  used  by  the  Moham- 
medans at  the  present  day  in  many  cities,  from 

? 


34  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

the  top  of  which  a  sentinel  calls  out  the  hour 
when  the  faithful  are  to  pray.  He  finds  that  it 
was  erected  by  an  Egyptian  khalif  named  Mu- 
hammed  Ibn  Kalawun,  about  1310  a.d.,  and  re- 
quired eight  years  for  its  completion. 

We  found  the  ascent  of  the  tower  quite  fatig- 
uing. Passing  through  the  arched  .  portal  we 
began  our  task  of  climbing  up  the  spiral  stone 
staircase,  in  which  we  counted  one  hundred  and 
twenty  steps,  each  nearly  a  foot  in  height.  As 
we  reached  each  successive  landing  we  caught, 
through  the  open  windows,  glimpses  of  the  beau- 
tiful landscape  around. 

A  charming  view  greeted  our  sight  when  we 
had  reached  the  summit.  To  the  northwest  we 
had  the  extensive  plain  of  Sharon  stretched  out 
before  us.  The  surface  of  the  plain  was  undu- 
lating, and  the  promising  fields  of  wheat  and  bar- 
ley, with  here  and  there  green  meadows  and  pas- 
ture-land interspersed,  gave  abundant  evidence  of 
rich  fertility.  We  noticed  the  minarets  and  domes 
of  the  large  village  of  Lydda,  about  three  miles 
distant,  surrounded  with  its  olive  orchards  and 
cactus  hedges.  Turning  to  the  westward  we 
traced  the  road  by  which  we  had  approached  the 
place,  and  in  the  distance  caught  sight  of  the 
bright  waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  To  the  south- 
ward lay  the  hills  of  Philistia,  already  mentioned, 


SHA  RON  AND  RA  ML  EH.  35 

studded  with  the  little  hamlets  of  the  farmers, 
thus  affording  the  choice  feature  of  every  beauti- 
ful landscape,  the  evidence  of  human  habitation. 
To  the  eastward  were  the  lofty  hills  of  Judea, 
over  which  we  were  to  make  our  way  on  the 
morrow.  The  rays  of  the  declining  sun  lighted 
up  the  clearly-defined  summits,  while  the  narrow 
valleys  were  wrapt  in  the  sombre  shadows  of  the 
coming  darkness  ;  and  at  our  feet,  nestled  against 
the  base  of  this  ancient  and  beautiful  tower,  lay 
the  modern  village  of  Ramleh,  with  its  groves  of 
olive  trees  and  its  luxuriant  hedges  of  cactus. 

Enjoyable  as  was  this  scene,  the  lateness  of 
the  hour  warned  us  that  it  was  time  for  us  to 
descend,  and  cautiously  feeling  our  way  down  the 
broken  stone  steps  we  soon  emerged  into  the 
quadrangle  and  mounted  our  horses  for  the  ride 
to  our  quarters  in  the  village.  This  part  of  the 
day's  journey  was  quickly  accomplished ;  for  in  a 
few  minutes  we  turned  up  one  of  the  little  streets 
and  came  upon  a  house  with  a  flag  floating  from 
a  staff  planted  on  the  roof,  on  which  were  the 
welcome  words  "  Frank  Hotel."  The  building 
had  evidently  been  used  formerly  as  a  dwell- 
ing, but  was  now  improvised  for  a  lodging  place 
for  travellers.  Its  former  owner  was  a  Moham- 
medan, and  here  it  was  said  he  kept  his  harem. 
The  lower  story  was  now  used  as  a  dining-room 


36  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

and  kitchen,  while  above  were  our  lodging-rooms, 
opening  out  upon  a  broad  stone  terrace.  Our 
evening  meal  was  soon  prepared,  and  served  upon 
a  very  primitive  table  constructed  of  benches  and 
heavy  deal  pjank,  while  sacks  of  barley  and  other 
grain  were  piled  in  heaps  against  the  heavy  stone 
walls  and  in  the  gloomy  corners  of  the  basement 
room  w^hich  served  as  our  dining  apartment.  At 
an  early  hour  we  retired  to  our  sleeping-rooms, 
nothing  daunted  by  the  thought  that  this  was 
once  occupied  by  the  aforesaid  harem  ;  and,  weary 
with  the  novel  experiences  of  the  day,  we  fell 
into  our  first  sleep  in  Palestine. 


CIIAPTErv  III. 

GOING    Ur    TO    JERUSALKM. 

"Gakqon!  Gargon!!  Garcon !!!"  These  were 
the  words  which  rang  through  our  ears  like  the 
blare  of  a  trumpet,  at  daybreak  on  the  following 
niorninii'  at  Ramleh.  We  reco2;nized  the  voice  as 
that  of  our  English  fellow-traveller.  With  a  feel- 
ing of  alarm  we  hastily  made  our  toilet  and  opened 
the  door,  fearing  that  mischief  might  be  brewing. 


Inn,  or  Khan. 

We  found  our  friend   Mr.  11- 


standing  in 


his  open  doorway,  clad  only  as  if  he   had  just 
arisen  from  sleep,  shivering  in  the  crisp  morning 


(37) 


38  TEST  AM)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

air,  attempting  to  arouse  the  attendants  in  the 
basement.      "  Gallon "  is   the  French   name   for 

waiter,  and  we  concluded   that   Mr.   H had 

adopted  it,  because  we  were  now  at  the  Frank 
Hotel,  wliere  French  would  seem  to  be  most 
appropriate.  We  found  out  afterwards,  however, 
that  it  was  our  friend's  habit,  when  travelling  in 
any  foreign  country,  to  make  a  dash  at  French, 
even  if  the  people  understood  English  perfectly 
well.  "Gargon"  seemed  more  polite  and  courteous 
than  "  waiter,"  hence,  no  doubt,  its  frequent  use. 
At  last  one  of  the  guides  appeared,  whereupon 
a  colloquy  took  place  of  a  most  animated  descrip- 
tion.    It  seems  that  Mr.  II had  determined 

that  his  luggage,  consisting  of  several  heavy 
trunks,  should  be  kept  with  us  during  our 
month's  journey.  On  this  point  a  long  debate 
had  taken  place  at  Jaffa,  the  guide  wishing  the 
trunks  sent  by  steamer  to  Beirut,  to  await  our 
arrival.  A  compromise  had  been  effected  by 
hiring  an  extra  mule  to  transport  the  effects,  and 

now    Mr.    H had   awakened,    in   fear,    lest 

his  bundle  of  twelve  canes  and  nearly  as  many 
umbrellas  had  been  forgotten  at  Jaffa.  Hence 
the  alarm ; — and  what,  with  the  mixture  of  fair 
Enojlish,  bad  French,  and  barbarous  Arabic ;  the 
opening  of  the  heavy  mule  packs,  the  braying 
of  the  animals,   and  the  presence  of  wondering 


GOING  UP  TO  JERUSALEM.  39 

natives ; — there  was  commotion  like  that  in  the 
baggage  train  of  a  great  army.  At  last  the  par- 
ticular package  was  found,  just  where  it  had  been 
safely  stowed  [iway  at  Jaffa.  Peace  and  order 
having  been  restored,  the  cook  welcomed  us  to 
the  breakfast  table. 

The  sun  was  fairly  above  the  high  Judean  hills 
when  we  mounted  our  horses  to  go  up  to  Jeru- 
salem. We  wound  around  the  cactus  hedges,  and 
high  plastered  walls  enclosing  the  fine  gardens  of 
Ramleh,  until,  presently,  we  emerged  into  the 
open  country.  The  soil  here  is  of  a  sandy  nature, 
yet  very  fertile ;  the  village  is  surrounded  by 
olive  groves,  while  here  and  there  an  occasional 
carob,  sycamore,  or  palm  tree  might  be  seen 
along  the  wayside. 

A  city  was  founded  here  by  the  Mohammedans 
in  the  early  part  of  the  eighth  century,  under 
the  name  which  it  now  bears,  Ramleh — "  The 
Sandy."  When  the  crusaders  came,  they  cap- 
tured it  and  made  it  one  of  their  strongholds,  in 
connection  with  Lydda  and  Jaffa.  Here  they 
celebrated  a  festival  to  St.  George  upon  the 
abundance  of  provisions  left  behind  by  the  flee- 
ing inhabitants,  and  made  the  hero,  who  slew  the 
dragon,  their  patron  saint.  To  this  day,  England 
acknowledges  St.  George,  and  still  raises  the 
white  banner  with  the  red  cross. 


40  TENT  AN  J)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

As  we  emerged  from  the  narrow  streets,  and 
our  little  party  straggled  along  the  highway  east- 
ward, we  thought  of  the  contrast  between  our 
own  appearance  and  that  of  the  royal  knights  of 
ancient  times.  Ilichard  Caair  de  Lion  may  have 
swept  along  this  road,  with  his  magnificent  army 
of  crusaders,  mounted  on  war-horses,  their  lances, 
shields,  and  battle-axes  glistening,  like  mirrors,  in 
the  sun.  Our  steeds  seemed  entirely  oblivious 
of  the  fact  that  they  were  on  ground  distinguished 
by  such  grand  equine  exploits.  The  only  ambi- 
tion they  manifested  was,  a  seeming  desire, 
that  each  one  should  be  last  in  the  train,  and 
we  had  much  ado  to  urge  them  forward  at  a 
gentle  trot. 

In  two  hours  we  ascended  the  first  foot-hill  of 
the  Judean  range,  and  reached  a  miserable  ham- 
let named  El-kuhah,  situated  on  a  rise  of  ground 
to  our  right.  The  guide  informed  us  that  the 
town  formerly  bore  a  very  bad  reputation ;  for 
not  many  years  ago,  a  few  gentlemen  having  some 
valuable  goods  in  charge,  while  passing  it  in  the 
night,  were  set  upon  and  robbed  by  the  inhab- 
itants. When  complaint  was  made  to  the  Turkish 
officials  they,  in  contrast  with  their  usual  indiffer- 
ence, placed  the  whole  population  under  arrest, 
and  confiscated  all  their  cattle,  sheep  and  grain, 
and  by  their  severity  taught  the  Kuhabians  such 


GOING   UP  TO  JERUSALEM.  41 

a  lesson  that  they  no  longer  seek  for  plunder,  and 
are  ahnost  afraid  even  to  ask  for  backshish."^' 

An  hour  later  we  reached  the  Bab  cl  Wadf/, 
"gate  of  the  glen,"  which  from  ancient  times 
has  been  the  chief  entrance  to  the  Judean  ransre 
from  the  west.  The  descent  into  the  valley  of 
Ajalon  is  here  quite  steep,  and  thus  nature  has 
made  it  a  place  of  defence.  From  this  point  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  valley  and  heights  beyond. 
The  vale  of  Ajalon  is  wide  and  fertile,  and  runs 
from  northeast  to  southwest,  having  a  stream-bed 
in  its  centre,  through  which  the  heights  around 
Gibeon  are  drained.  To  the  southward,  in  Phil- 
istia,  David  probably  selected  his  pebbles  from 
the  bed  of  this  water-course,  when  he  fought  his 
famous  battle  with  Goliath.f  Far  toward  the 
northeast,  the  guide  pointed  out  the  pass  of 
Beth-horon,  from  which  Joshua  commanded  the 
sun  and  the  moon  to  stand  still. J  With  the  aid 
of  the  glass  we  were  enabled  to  distinguish  the 
town  of  upper  Beth-horon,  as  the  sun  shone  upon 
it  through  a  rift  in  the  clouds.  It  lay  high  up 
among  the  mountains,  beyond  the  pass  through 
which  the  discomfited  Amorites  must  have  fled 

*  This  is  the  Arabic  word  for  "  present."  Dr.  Robinson  spells 
it  "bakhshish,"  Dr.  Thomson  has  "  buksheesh,"  and  Canon 
Tristram,  "backshish." 

t  1  Samuel  17  :  40. 

I  Joshua  10:  12. 


42  TIJNT  AM)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

away  in  terror  into  this  valley  of  Ajalon,  on  the 
day  of  their  utter  defeat. 

Near  our  point  of  observation  is  the  village  of 
Latrun,  named  thus  from  the  tradition  that  Disma, 
the  penitent  thief,  formerly  was  a  bandit  at  this 
place.  Lying  in  wait  behind  these  high  rocks  on 
either  side  of  the  "gate  of  the  glen,"  he  would 
fall  upon  some  hapless  traveller  and  despoil  him 
of  his  goods.  Here  also,  it  is  said,  is  the  native 
place  of  the  famous  Maccabees,  who  maintained  a 
long  and  successful  struggle  with  the  Syrian 
kings,  and  finally  succeeded  in  establishing,  for  a 
period,  the  independence  of  the  Jews.  About 
the  year  175  b.c,  on  this  very  hill-top,  Apelles, 
one  of  the  Greek  commissioners  sent  by  Epiph- 
anes,  set  up  an  altar  for  idol-worship,  and  com- 
manded the  people  to  offer  sacrifices  upon  it. 
Only  one  poor  Jew  obeyed;  when  Mattathias, 
the  priest,  with  his  five  sons  appeared  on  the 
scene,  putting  Apelles  and  the  Jew  to  the  sword, 
and  scattered  the  crowd  of  idolaters.  One  of 
the  old  priest's  sons,  named  Judas — who  is  some- 
times called  the  Washington  of  Judea — became 
the  leader  of  the  Jewish  forces,  and  from  these 
rocky  hills,  by  sorties,  and  night  attacks,  and 
deeds  of  desperate  daring,  drove  off  the  Syrians 
from  the  land. 

At  this  point  we  began  the  toilsome  ascent  of 


(44) 


GOING   UP  TO  JERUSALEM.  45 

the  Judean  mountains, — for  mountains  they  are, 
though  we  are  not  accustomed  to  speak  of  them 
by  this  title.  They  are  composed  of  a  limestone 
of  yellowish  color.  No  forest  trees,  and  but  little 
grass  or  shrubbery,  are  found  upon  their  rounded 
sides  or  lofty  summits.  Following  the  tortuous 
track  of  the  highway,  and  gradually  attaining 
higher  and  yet  higher  elevations,  we  came,  near 
midday,  to  Kirjath-jearim.  It  was  here  that  the 
sacred  ark  of  the  covenant  abode  for  twenty 
years,  after  it  was  restored  to  the  Jews.  It  had 
been  taken  to  the  battle-field  by  Hophni  and 
Phinehas,  the  two  ingrate  sons  of  good  old  Eli, 
that  it  might  be  a  charm  to  discomfit  the  Philis- 
tines ;  but,  alas  !  the  Philistines  triumphed,  and 
took  the  ark,  with  all  the  spoil,  to  their  own 
land ;  whence  by  a  providence  they  returned  it, 
drawn  in  a  rude  cart  by  two  new^  milk  cows,  to  its 
proper  owners.* 

Few  of  the  touching  stories  of  Old-Testament 
history  have  a  pathos  equal  to  the  story  of  that 
sacred  ark.  It  came  from  the  foot  of  Sinai,  with 
the  tables  of  the  law.  The  history  of  God's  deal- 
ings with  his  ancient  people,  the  incidents  in  the 
lives  of  Moses,  Joshua,  Eli  and  Samuel,  were 
bound  up  with  it ;  and  here  on  this  sunny  mount- 
ain slope,  after  it  came  from  the  great  temple  of 

*1  Samuel  6:  7-12. 


46  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

Dagon  ut  Ashdod — after  it  was  sent  away  from 
Gath,  Ekron  and  Beth-shemesh — came  this  holy 
ark  to  the  house  of  Eleazar  the  son  of  Ammin- 
iidab,  and  here  it  rested  until  King  David,  with 
great  pomp  and  a  royal  procession,  took  it  up  to 
Mount  Zion.* 

As  we  approached  Kirjath-jearim,  a  cloud  which 
had  been  hanging  over  the  horizon  in  the  south- 
west for  some  time,  suddenly  assumed  a  very 
dark  and  threatening  aspect.  A  coming  storm, 
the  proverb  says,  hastens  the  traveller  on  his 
way;  and  our  party,  following  the  example  of 
the  guide,  urged  the  horses  into  a  quick  pace 
down  the  hill,  toward  the  little  khan  where  we 
were  to  partake  of  luncheon.  As  I  could  not 
leave  that  place  with  only  a  passing  glance,  I 
rode  under  a  fine  olive  tree  by  the  wayside,  just 
opposite  the  village,  and  waited  till  the  storm 
should  be  over.  I  did  not  have  long  to  wait :  a 
gust  of  wind,  a  dash  of  rain,  and  the  rattle  of  a 
brief  hail-storm  was  upon  me,  and  was  soon  past 
me,  driving  over  the  hills  around  Jerusalem. 
It  was  the  last  touch  of  the  rainy  season,  and  we 
did  not  see  another  drop  of  rain  fall  during  the 
four  weeks  which  we  spent  in  Palestine  and 
Syria. 

The  little  village  now  looked  quite  cleanly  and 

*  2  Samuel  6. 


GOIXG   UP  TO  JERUSALEM.  47 

inviting,  as  it  had  been  washed  by  the  passing 
shower.  It  lies  on  the  eastern  side  of  one  of  the 
high  Judean  hills,  and  not  far  from  the  summit 
which  we  had  crossed  only  a  few  moments  before. 
Its  situation  is  at  the  edge  of  one  of  the  peculiar 
bowl-shaped  depressions  which  form  such  a  char- 
acteristic feature  of  this  mountain  landscape.  But 
while  most  of  these  upland  vales  have  bare  rock 
for  their  sides,  this  one  is  a  terrace  of  fertile  soil, 
occupied  with  fruit  trees,  vineyards  and  gardens ; 
hence  its  modern  name,  Kiiryet  el  Enab — "vil- 
lage of  vines."  It  was  a  suitable  place  for  the 
repose  of  the  sacred  ark,  half  hidden  as  it  is  in 
the  shadow  of  the  mountain,  and  surrounded  with 
abundance  of  vines,  olive  and  fig  trees.  The 
single-story  stone  houses  with  twin  windows, 
with  a  fine  old  gothic  ruin  in  front  said  to  have 
been  erected  by  the  Crusaders  and  dedicated  to 
the  Knights  of  St.  John :  a  mosque,  a  fountain, 
and  the  remains  of  an  ancient  khan  enshrine  this 
smiling  hamlet  as  a  pleasing  picture  in  the  mem- 
ory. The  extended  prospect  in  front, — reaching 
quite  across  the  vale  of  Hanina  to  the  high  hills 
before  Jerusalem,  with  variety  of  mountain  peaks 
guarding  the  deep  wadies  between,  with  here  and 
there  an  orchard  of  olive  or  of  fig  trees  set  in  the 
terraced  hillsides, — affords  the  village  of  vines  a 
suitable  environment.     Kirjath-jearim,  the  name 


48  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

by  which  we  know  this  place  in  Old-Testament 
history,  is  truly  one  of  nature's  sanctuaries,  and 
well  deserves  the  honor  of  keeping,  for  twenty 
years,  the  sacred  ark  of  the  covenant.* 

The  traces  of  the  shower  had  nearly  disap- 
peared when,  a  few  minutes  later,  I  joined  the 
party  at  the  khan  in  the  valley,  where  we  were 
to  partake  of  luncheon.  The  khan  of  Palestine 
is  neither  a  hotel  nor  a  private  dwelling.  It  is 
simply  a  shelter  by  the  wayside  where  the  trav- 
eller may  rest,  while  he  entertains  himself  with 
his  own  provisions,  and,  if  he  remain  over  night, 
may  lie  down  upon  his  own  bedding.  The  khans 
vary  in  size  and  in  finish  according  to  the  loca- 
tion. On  the  long  routes  from  Cairo  to  Damas- 
cus, or  from  either  of  these  cities  to  Mecca,  the 
buildings  are  of  large  size ;  but  in  the  present 
instance  the  place  was  small  and  used  as  a  dwell- 
ing, and  the  accommodations  were  very  meagre. 
The  structure  was  made  of  common  field  stone, 
plastered  with  clay,  and  the  roof  was  made  of 
sticks  covered  with  brush  and  turf.  An  old  man 
seemed  to  have  the  place  in  charge,  and  opened 

*  Robinson's  map,  "Environs  of  Jerusalem,"  locates  Kirjath- 
jearim  at  Kuryet  el  Enab,  but  Conder  and  Dr.  Chaplin  propose 
Soba  as  its  site,  and  the  Palestine  Memoirs  suggest  Khurbet 
'Erma.  The  first  two  places  are  within  sight  of  each  other,  so 
that  the  above  description  will  afford  the  reader  a  view  of  the 
general  surroundings  in  either  case. 


GOING   UP  TO  JERUSALEM.  49 

the  door  of  welcome  to  us,  upon  the  payment  of 
a  few  piastres. 

The  guide,  with  his  assistants,  spread  the 
cloths  upon  the  ground  floor,  and  brought  forth 
the  store  of  provisions ;  and  as  our  appetites 
were  good,  after  the  morning's  ride,  we  were  an- 
ticipating a  pleasant  repast  in  this  primitive  host- 
elry. But  scarcely  were  we  seated  around  the 
edges  of  the  cloth,  after  the  Turkish  fashion,  be- 
fore our  troubles  commenced.  First  came  the 
chickens,  half  running,  half  flying  across  the 
place  occupied  by  the  dishes,  picking  at  the 
bread,  eggs,  and  meat  as  if  they  intended  to 
make  the  most  of  this  their  golden  opportunity. 
Following  them  came  the  cats,  scarcely  less  per- 
sistent yet  far  more  stealthy,  and  they  nearly 
completed  the  work  of  destruction.  It  was  in- 
deed an  embarrassing  situation,  and  we  soon  des- 
patched what  provision  each  one  had  been  for- 
tunate enough  to  secure  at  the  beginning,  and 
prepared  to  retreat  into  the  highway.  Our 
hasty  exit  surprised  a  half-grown  girl  who  had 
been  watching  us,  with  great  black,  greedy  eyes, 
from  the  corner  of  the  doorway.  She  would 
have  made  a  good  subject  for  any  artist  who 
could  paint  well  from  memory.  She  disappeared 
quickly  around  the  corner  of  the  building,  her 
coarse  black  hair,  and  tattered  tunic,  streaming 


50  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

out  behind  her  in  the  wind.  We  were  unable 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  afterward. 

The  khan  had  an  elevated  portion  in  the  inte- 
rior which  extended  over  nearly  one-half  of  the 
floor  space.  This  raised  portion  was  about  tAvo 
feet  above  the  general  level,  and  was  composed 
of  stone  masonry,  within  which  was  a  broad, 
shallow  oven,  securely  arched  at  the  top  and 
covered  with  a  coat  of  plaster.  Upon  this  the 
bedding  is  usually  placed  during  winter,  so  that, 
with  a  brisk  fire  of  brushwood  and  dried  grass 
kept  up  during  the  day,  the  people  sleep  in  tol- 
erable comfort  at  night,  enjoying  the  heat  re- 
tained in  the  stonework.  In  some  cases  the 
donkeys  are  kept  upon  the  ground-floor,  and  the 
manger  is  fjlaced  along  the  front  of  the  raised 
portion.  Thus  the  ancient  khan  at  Bethlehem 
must  have  been  constructed  with  the  cave  in  the 
rear,  where,  because  there  was  no  room  for  them 
at  the  inn,  Mary  wrapped  the  infjint  Jesus  in 
swaddling-clothes  and  laid  him  in  the  manger. 

Our  route  from  the  khan  led  over  another  hill 
of  Judea,  on  the  summit  of  which  is  a  ruin 
named  Kustul,  an  ancient  fort  of  either  the 
Romans  or  the  Crusaders.  High  on  the  crest 
of  the  range  to  the  northward  we  saw  Mizpeh, 
the  former  tomb  of  Samuel,  now  named  Nebi- 
Samwil;  while,  at  an  almost  equal  height  and 


GOING   UP  TO  JERUSALEM.  51 

like  situation,  to  the  southAvard  we  saw  a  con- 
ical peak  named  Soha.  As  we  advanced,  these 
two  summits  were  almost  constantly  in  sight, 
and  each  seemed  the  more  majestic  and  impress- 
ive the  nearer  we  approached  to  them. 

From  Kustul  we  descended  to  Kidonieh^  which 
lies  just  on  the  border  of  the  great  valley  Hanina. 
It  is  undoubtedly  the  site  of  an  old  Roman  town, 
for  near  by  it  is  a  fine  bridge  of  stone  over  the 
bed  of  the  little  brook,  which  shows  the  trace 
of  Roman  architecture.  It  is  of  interest  to  note 
that  the  little  place  named  Kulonieh,  which  is 
an  attractive  village,  with  gardens  and  vineyards 
surrounding  it,  is  one  of  the  supposed  sites  of 
Emmaus,*  where  the  Saviour  and  the  two  dis- 
ciples came  on  the  evening  of  the  day  of  his  res- 
urrection.f  Could  it  be  certainly  proved  that 
this  is  the  very  spot  where  that  ever-memorable 
scene  occurred,  few  places  even  in  this  most  in- 
teresting land  would  be  of  greater  interest  to  us. 
It  is  distant  from  Jerusalem  just  about  the  re- 
quired sixty  furlongs ;  and  it  is  situated  at  the 
side  of  the  ancient  road  leading  westward  to 
Kirjath-jearim  and  Ramleh,  supposed  by  many 
to  be    ancient  Arimathea.     From  Kulonieh  the 

*  Some  authors  locate  Emmaus  at  Kubeibeh,  farther  to  the 
north  and  west, 
t  Luke  24:  13. 


52  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

disciples  could  easily  have  returned  the  same 
evening,  with  their  joyful  tidings,  to  the  holy 
city ;  and  thus  nearly  all  the  conditions  of  the 
sacred  narrative  are  met  by  this  location. 

From  this  point  we  crossed  the  arch  of  stone- 
work already  mentioned,  and  soon  came  to  a  high 
hill,  which  we  climbed  in  a  zigzag  fashion  by 
some  eight  diagonals,  all  included  within  a  space 
of  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile.  It  was  in  reality 
climbing  up  the  foce  of  a  steep,  and  in  places 
almost  perpendicular  clifT,  and  thus  it  formed  a 
fitting  climax  to  the  fatigue  of  the  day's  travel. 
We  were  able  from  the  top  to  gain  a  view  along 
the  winding  track  which  we  had  followed  from 
Kirjath-jearim,  and  also  to  take  in  the  general 
appearance  of  the  Judean  hillsides.  As  a  rule 
they  are  quite  barren  of  vegetation.  Slabs  of 
limestone  are  seen  all  along  their  sides,  glisten- 
ing in  the  sunlight.  The  layers  of  rock  are 
mainly  horizontal,  and  swell  in  and  out  in  curved 
lines  around  the  projections  and  recesses,  thus 
affording  natural  terraces,  which  once  were  under 
cultivation  no  doubt,  but  now  are  in  a  state  of 
nature.  In  the  beds  of  the  deep,  narrow  valleys 
olive  trees,  and  little  gardens  under  cultivation, 
may  be  noticed ;  and  higher  up,  in  a  few  places, 
the  natural  terraces  are  occupied  with  vine- 
yards. 


GOING   UP  TO  JERUSALEM. 


53 


While  we  were  still  among  the  mountains,  as 
we  supposed,  we  were  almost  at  the  gates  of  Je- 
rusalem. Having  gone  a  few  yards  from  the 
summit  of  the  cliff  with  the  diagonals,  we  were 
already  in  the  suburbs  which  lie  without  the  city 
walls.  We  saw  the  upper  and  lower  pools  of 
Gihon,  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  on  our  right; 
and  ere  we  could  fairly  realize  it  we  were  within 
the  Jaffa  Gate  and  dismounting  in  David  Street, 
in  front  of  the  Mediterranean  Hotel. 


The  Interior  of  the  Jaffa  Gate.    (After  Photograph  by  BonjOs.) 

The  Jaffa  Gate,  called  also  "  Yafa  Gate,"  "  Hebron  Gate,"  and  by  the  Arabs  Bnb 
el-Khulit,  is  on  the  west  side  of  Jerusalem.  It  consists  of  a  massive  square 
tower,  the  entrance  to  which  from  without  is  on  the  northern  side,  and  the 
exit  within  on  the  eastern.  All  the  roads  from  the  country  south  and  west 
converge  to  this  gate.  One  street — and  it  is  generally  the  one  first  trodden 
by  western  pilgrims — leads  from  the  Jaffa  Gate  eastward  past  the  space  by  the 
oitadel,  and  down  the  side  of  the  ridge  and  across  the  valley  to  the  principal 
entrance  of  the  Haram.  This  street  is  called  Ijv  some  the  "Street  of  David." 
Outside  tlie  Jaffa  Gate  is  the  usual  eainpiug-iilace  of  all  travellers  reaching 
Jerusalem  by  way  of  Jaffa  and  from  Hebron  or  Bethlehem. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SIGHTS    ON    MOUNT    MORIAH. 

All  readers  of  the  Bible  have,  at  least,  a  gen- 
eral conception  of  the  surroundings  of  Jerusalem. 
And,  in  the  main,  the  general  view  is  quite  cor- 
rect, though  the  details  will  greatly  vary  from 
our  ideal  of  the  holy  city.  All  have  heard  of 
the  mountains  round  about  Jerusalem,  to  which 
the  Psalmist  compares  the  watchfulness  and  care 
of  Jehovah  over  his  people.  Even  the  stranger 
can  find  them  at  once,  and  without  hesitation, 
Scopus,  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  Mount  of  Of- 
fence, and  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel  are  all  in  plain 
sight,  and  are  easily  identified.  So  also  the  two 
noted  elevations  within  the  city  walls,  Zion  and 
Moriah,  can  be  recognized  at  a  glance  ;  and  even 
the  valleys  of  Hinnom  and  Jehoshaphat  have,  at 
the  very  first  sight,  a  familiar  aspect. 

If  we  were  to  remain  without  the  walls  we  would 
not  need  a  guide,  except  for  his  protection.  We 
can  walk  entirely  around  the  city  walls  within  an 
hour, — only  two  and  one-half  miles  in  length, — 
and  at  first  we  feel  disappointed  that  Jerusalem 
has  only  about  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants. 

(54) 


MODERN    JERUSALEM 

Jbe  dvdmons  otAiuient  J^msolart  nre 

di^Jt4fitisfud  hy  colours  and  najriAt  bv  Uyhs,  )jajrs 

Scalp  _Enfflali  Feet 


(55) 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MO  II I  AH.  57 

When  we  compare  it  with  the  cities  of  other 
countries,  we  at  once  discover  that  its  greatness 
is  not  due  to  its  size,  nor  to  the  magnificence  of 
its  buildings.  There  are  at  least  one  hundred 
cities  in  the  United  States  larger,  in  population, 
than  this  famous  city  of  the  Jews.  Yet  we  do 
not  estimate  the  value  of  precious  things  accord- 
ing to  bulk  but  according  to  quality,  or  to  affec- 
tion. Hence  we  must  look  at  Jerusalem,  not  as  a 
rival  of  other  cities  in  population  or  wealth,  but 
we  must  prize  it  for  its  memorable  history  and 
sacred  associations. 

It  was  with  no  ordinary  interest  that  two  mem- 
bers of  our  party  took  our  first  walk  in  Jerusa- 
lem, on  the  evening  of  the  day  of  our  arrival.  As 
was  most  natural,  our  steps  were  directed  towards 
the  place  where  we  could  see  the  Mount  of  Olives 
and  the  Kedron  Valley.  With  our  guide  we  set 
out  from  near  the  Jaffa  Gate,  who  led  us  down 
David  Street,  through  the  busy  little  market- 
place or  bazaar.  We  found  the  streets  not  only 
narrow,  but  also  very  uneven  and  almost  impass- 
able, on  account  of  the  slippery  condition  of  the 
surface.  The  pavement,  in  fact,  was  nothing 
more  than  a  bed  of  field-stone  of  uneven  surfaces, 
roughly  laid  down.  Added  to  this  was  the  diffi- 
culty occasioned  by  the  fact  that  the  streets  fol- 
low the  natural  slopes  in  crossing  the  Tyropoeon 


58  TEN r  AND  SAD D L E  L IFE. 

Valley,  and  therefore  are  without  anything  like  a 
smooth  grade.  The  recent  rains  had  covered  the 
surfjice  with  a  slippery  coating  of  clay,  and  the 
little  torrents  were  still  at  work  carrying  the  mud, 
and  debris,  down  the  slopes  in  the  middle  of  the 
streets.  We  had  to  use  the  greatest  precaution, 
therefore,  lest  from  an  unguarded  footstep  we 
should  find  ourselves  prostrate  in  some  filthy 
puddle.  At  last,  after  turning  this  way  and  that, 
and  by  great  care  avoiding  the  loaded  camels, 
mules,  donkeys  and  high-stepping  men,  we  ar- 
rived at  St.  Stephen's  Gate.  Passing  through 
the  gate  we  advanced  a  few  paces,  and  stood 
upon  the  brink  of  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat. 
And  now  the  view  which  we  had  so  long  desired 
to  see  was  spread  out  to  our  anxious  and  scrutin- 
izing gaze.  At  last  we  were  permitted  to  see 
that  of  which  we  had  read  so  often;  of  which  we 
had  studied,  and  thought,  and  dreamed. 

The  scene  was  as  we  had  imagined,  only  the 
proportions  were  much  enlarged.  The  valley 
before  St.  Stephen's  Gate  is  broad  and  deep.  In 
the  bed  of  the  valley  there  is  room  for  extensive 
gardens  at  this  point,  and  the  space  is  enclosed 
and  under  cultivation.  Gethsemane  is  also  in 
plain  sight,  but  it  is  quite  a  distance  away,  and, 
as  now  enclosed  by  a  substantial  wall,  and  well 
stocked  with  ancient  olive   and  young  cypress 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MORI  AH.  61 

trees,  it  forms  an  attractive  feature  of  this 
otherwise  somewhat  barren  view.  The  Mount 
of  Olives  is  high  and  broad ;  exceeding  my  an- 
ticipations in  both  particulars.  The  buildings  on 
the  summit,  at  this  distance,  appear  to  be  quite 
new  and  large ;  but  the  broad  face  of  the  mount, 
lying  between,  looks  bare  and  uninviting,  save  as 
relieved  by  the  clumps  of  almond,  fig,  and  orange 
trees  which  are  scattered  along  the  channels  of 
the  water-courses,  and  are  already  in  the  bud  and 
leaf  of  the  early  spring.  The  feelings  awakened 
by  the  sight  were  simply  inexpressible,  and  for 
the  most  part  we  gazed  upon  it  in  silence ;  and, 
thoughtfully  turning  aAvay,  retraced  our  steps, 
waiting  for  views  from  other  standpoints  to  give 
us  a  more  accurate  conception  of  the  place  as  a 
whole. 

On  the  morning  following  our  arrival  at  Jeru- 
salem we  were  taken  to  see  the  Mosque  of  Omar, 
which  occupies  very  nearly  the  site  of  Solomon's 
temple,  on  Mount  Moriah.  The  guide  was  anx- 
ious that  this  visit  should  be  made  at  once,  for 
the  coming  festivals,  of  both  Christians  and  Mo- 
hammedans, would  close  the  gates  of  the  temple 
area  against  all  sight-seeing  tourists  for  many 
weeks  to  come.  The  Haram  esJi-Sherif,  or  Noble 
Sanctuary,  is  an  elevated  area  five  hundred 
and  ten  yards  in  length  from  north  to  south  and 


62  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

three  hundred  and  eighteen  yards  wide  from  east 
to  west.*''  It  is  bounded  by  immense  walls,  the 
substructions  of  which  are  supposed  to  have 
been  laid  in  the  times  of  Solomon.  The  wall  on 
the  east  side  runs  parallel  with  the  valley  of  Je- 
hoshaphat,  and  for  a  considerable  part  of  the  whole 
distance  stands  upon  its  very  brink.  On  the 
west  side  the  great  wall  runs  along  the  narrow 
and  now  very  shallow  valley  of  the  Tyropoeon, 
in  quite  a  similar  manner ;  at  the  north  end  is 
the  bed  of  an  ancient  cross-valley  now  known  as 
the  pool  of  Bethesda,  and  at  the  south  the  ground 
falls  away  rapidly  over  the  rounded  knoll  for- 
merly known  as  Ophel.  The  surface  in  the  in- 
terior of  this  enclosed  place,  thus  surrounded  by 
valleys,  has  been  levelled  up  by  filling  earth  along 
the  walls,  until  it  now  appears  like  a  public  square 
or  park,  shaded  by  cypress,  olive  and  plane  trees, 
with  the  celebrated  Mosque  of  Omar  situated  well 
toward  the  western  side. 

This  elevated  section  includes  the  entire  sum- 
mit of  ancient  Moriah,  which  David  purchased 
from  Araunah  the  Jebusite,  and  where,  tradition 
asserts,  Abraham  offered  Isaac  for  the  sacrifice. 
And  here  Solomon  erected  his  temple,  which  was 

*  The  latest  measurements  are :  west  side,  536  yards ;  east 
side,  512  yards  ;  north  side,  348  yards  ;  south  side,  309  yards. 
This  shows  that  the  area  is  not  an  exact  parallelogram. 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MO  HI  A  If.  63 

afterwards  restored  by  Zerubbabel,  and  finally 
enlarged  and  rebuilt  in  a  more  magnificent  man- 
ner by  Herod  the  Great.  This  spot,  thus  dis- 
tinguished in  sacred  history,  after  the  wars  with 
the  Romans  finally  fell  into  the  possession  of  the 
Mohammedans ;  and  here,  it  is  said,  the  khalif 
Omar  built  the  mosque  (which  still  bears  his 
name),  in  a.d.  686,  occupying  seven  full  years  in 
its  construction. 

As  our  party  approached  this  famous  structure, 
our  guide  pointed  out  to  us  a  smaller  building  at 
its  side,  not  unlike  an  elegant  summer-house  in 
appearance,  which  was  named  Solomon's  Tribunal 
or  place  of  judgment.  At  the  door  of  the  great 
mosque  we  were  required  to  remove  our  boots, 
but  no  restrictions  are  made  respecting  the  wear- 
ing of  hats,  the  Mohammedans  themselves  always 
entering  their  places  of  worship  with  the  feet 
bare  and  the  head  covered.  We  found  ourselves 
within  an  octagonal  structure  of  elegant  work- 
manship, fitly  crowned  by  a  graceful  dome  located 
exactly  over  the  great  rock  which  gives  the  Mo- 
hammedan name  to  the  place — "  The  Dome  of 
the  Rock."  Two  rows  of  columns  running  quite 
around  the  interior  of  the  building,  of  ancient 
appearance  and  finely  polished,  divided  the  area 
into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  As  usual,  we  found 
no  pews    within,  for  the  Mohammedans    either 


64  TKNT  AMD  SADDLE  LIFE. 

prostrate  themselves,  or  sit  upon  the  floor  during 
their  worship,  and  but  few  of  the  faithful  were 
present  at  the  time  of  our  visit. 

The  sacred  rock  was  the  object  of  greatest  in- 
terest to  us.  I  had  always  formed  the  idea  that 
it  must  1)0  an  immense  boulder ;  but  in  this  con- 
ception I  soon  found  that  I  had  been  mistaken, 
for  the  sacred  stone  is  simply  a  spur  of  the  native 
limestone  of  Moriah,  in  situ,  protruding  above  the 
floor  of  the  sanctuary.  It  is  in  shape  a  sort  of 
parallelogram,  and  is  about  sixty  feet  in  length 
by  twenty  in  width.*  It  appears  to  have  been 
worked  down  with  drill  and  chisel,  the  whole 
surface  having  thus  been  chipped  away,  leaving 
a  slight  comb  or  ridge  its  entire  length  from  north 
to  south.  The  guide  pointed  out  to  us  the  giant 
finger-marks  made  by  the  angel  Gabriel  when  he 
grasped  the  sacred  relic  to  prevent  its  following 
Mohammed  up  to  Paradise.  These  were  plainly 
nothing  but  drill-marks  left  in  a  convenient  form 
to  suit  the  legend. 

Under  the  southern  end  of  this  rock  there  is 
the  entrance  to  the  cave  or  shallow  recess  be- 
neath it.     This  portion  of  the  sacred  relic  was 

*  Other  writers  gwe  its  length  57  feet,  width  43  feet,  height 
above  pavement  6j  feet.  The  Mohammedans  believe  that  at 
the  last  day  the  Ka'ba  of  Mecca  will  come  to  this  rock,  the 
blast  of  the  trumpet  will  announce  the  judgment,  and  God's 
throne  will  then  be  placed  upon  this  rock. 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MORI  AH.  65 

undoubtedly  the  projecting  ledge  of  the  original 
formation,  under  cover  of  which  Araunah  the 
Jebusite  may  have  stored  the  wheat  obtained 
from  his  threshing-floor  near  by.*  Upon  enter- 
ing this  cave,  in  which  a  dozen  persons  can  gather 
and  stand  upright,  we  were  shown  the  praying- 
places  of  David  and  Mohammed ;  and  on  stamp- 
ing upon  the  floor,  we  found  that  it  was  hollow 
beneath.  A  large  hole  pierces  through  the  pro- 
jecting portion  of  the  rock  overhead,  correspond- 
ing very  nearly  with  the  hollow  place  beneath, 
indicating  that  at  some  time  there  must  have 
been  some  connection  between  them.  The  Mo- 
hammedans, however,  will  not  allow  any  one  to 
open  the  floor  over  the  hollow-sounding  place, 
alleging  that  the  well  of  spirits  lies  below  it,  into 
which  no  mortal  must  penetrate. 

Despite  the  usual  shabby  surroundings  of  all 
Mohammedan  buildings,  to  which  this  is  no  ex- 
ception, the  Mosque  of  Omar  is  certainly  a  fine 
piece  of  architecture.  The  windows,  located  well 
up  toward  the  eaves,  are  set  in  stained  glass, 
without  emblems,  and  are  chaste  and  elegant  in 
coloring  and  design.  The  capitals  of  the  columns 
are  finished  in  gold,  and  the  walls  are  covered 
with  mosaic  work  of  an  arabesque  pattern.  The 
mosque  is  not  large,  but  is  tastefully  built,  and 

*2  Samuel  24:21. 
5 


66  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

the  dome  is  graceful,  symmetrical  and  a  fitting 
crown  to  the  whole  structure. 

We  left  the  building  by  the  southern  portal, 
and  noticed  that  the  surface  dropped  down  to  a 
lower  level,  to  which  we  descended  by  a  broad 
flight  of  stone  steps,  and  crossing  a  lawn  of  green 
sward,  beneath  which  lie  the  numberless  cisterns 
of  the  old  temple  area,  we  approached  the  second 
mosque,  known  as  el-Aksa.  We  found  that  this 
was  a  larger  building  than  the  one  we  had  just 
left,  but  it  was  not  nearl}'"  as  beautiful.  Its 
southern  end  rests  upon  the  great  wall  of  the 
temple  area,  and  from  the  windows  on  this  side 
extensive  views  are  enjoyed  of  the  deep  valley 
of  Hinnom  and  its  junction  with  the  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat  at  En  Rogel. 

Our  guide  next  led  us  down  a  narrow  and  dan- 
gerous stone  staircase  into  the  vaults  known  as 
Solomon's  Stables.  There  we  found  ourselves  in 
a  large  subterranean  apartment,  filled  with  solid 
arches  of  masonry  which  evidently  supported  the 
floor  and  walls  of  the  mosque  above.  At  the 
same  time  we  noted  the  immense  stones  imbed- 
ded in  the  foundation  of  the  great  wall  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  temple  area.  It  was  .on 
the  exterior  side  of  this  southeast  corner  of  the 
ancient  wall  that  Captain  Warren  sunk  a  shaft 
in  18G8,  and  finally,  after  great  labor  and  peril, 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MORI  AH.  67 

found  the  corner-stone  laid  by  Solomon's  masons 
2880  years  before.  "  The  corner-stone,"  he 
writes,  "  is  let  into  the  native  rock  apparently 
about  two  feet :   it  is  well  dressed,  and  has   an 


Eastern  Wall  of  Jerusalkm  and  Mrsi.iM  Tombs.    [Afii-r  Photograph  by 
Bovf. /.■<.) 

There  are  many  cemeteries,  sepulchres  and  tombs  about  Jerusah'm,  but  the 
favorite  buryins-place  of  the  Muslims  is  along  the  east  wall,  adjoining  the 
Haram  esh-Sherif;  since,  according  to  their  traditions,  the  general  judgment 
will  take  place  in  this  locality.  They  say  that  all  men  will  then  assemble 
in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  (at  the  left  of  the  picture).  A  thin  wire  rope 
will  be  stretched  across  the  valley  to  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Christ  will  sit  on 
the  wall  and  Mohammed  on  the  mount,  as  judges.  All  men  must  pass  over 
the  intervening  space  on  the  rope.  The  righteous  will  be  kept  by  the  angels 
from  falling,  while  the  wicked  will  be  precipitated  into  the  abyss  of  hell. 
Near  the  centre  of  the  picture  can  be  seen  the  Golden  Gate,  which  has  been 
kept  closed  from  a  very  early  period. 

ordinary  marginal  draft  of  about  four  inches  at 
the  top.  It  shows  above  the  rock  about  two 
feet."  On  a  stone  in  the  fifth  course,  and  the 
second  one  from  the  angle,  he  found  some  char- 
acters marked  with  red  paint,  of  which  he  writes  : 
"  The  general  impression  resulting  from  the  ex- 
amination of  these  marks  is  that  they  are  the 
quarry-marks,  and  were  made  before  the  stones 


68  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

were  placed  in  situ.  If  this  be  the  case,  then 
the  stones  must  have  been  dressed  previously  to 
their  having  been  brought  from  the  quarries." 
Thus  the  Scripture  statement  is  confirmed : 
"And  the  house,  when  it  was  in  building,  was 
built  of  stone  made  ready  before  it  was  brought 
thither :  so  that  there  was  neither  hammer  nor 
axe  nor  any  tool  of  iron  heard  in  the  house, 
while  it  was  in  building."  * 

After  ascending  the  stone  steps  which  lead  to 
the  present  surface  of  the  temple  area,  we  climbed 
to  the  top  of  the  heavy  wall  which  oAerhangs  the 
valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  and  peered  down  into  its 
awful  depth.  Captain  Warren  states  that  there 
is  now  about  forty  feet  of  soil  in  the  bed  of  the 
Kedron  at  this  point ;  so  that  originally  the  depth 
of  the  valley  must  have  been  increased  to  this 
extent.  Solomon's  Porch  was  built  on  the  south- 
ern wall,  of  which  Josephus  says  :  "A  broad  por- 
tico ran  along  the  wall,  supported  by  four  rows 
of  columns,  which  divided  it  into  three  parts, 
thus  forming  a  triple  colonnade  or  portico.  The 
height  of  the  two  external  porticos  was  more 
than  fifty  feet,  while  that  of  the  middle  one  was 
double,  or  more  than  a  hundred  feet.  Such  was 
the  elevation  of  the  middle  portico  above  the  ad- 
jacent valley  that  if  from  its  roof  one  attempted 

*  1  Kings  6  :  7. 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MORI  AH.  69 

to  look  down  into  the  gnlf  below,  his  eyes  became 
dark  and  dizzy  before  they  could  penetrate  to  the 
immense  depth."  Dr.  Robinson  estimates  the 
depth  of  the  valley  at  present  as  150  feet,  but 
thinks  that  from  the  middle  portico  it  must  have 
been  310  feet.  At  all  events  the  depth  is  very 
great,  and  the  visitor  sees  at  once  the  force  of 
the  language  in  the  Gospel  which  fixes  a  portion 
of  the  Saviour's  temptation  at  this  point,  when 
"the  devil  taketh  him  up  into  the  holy  city,  and 
setteth  him  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  and  saith. 
If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  cast  thyself  down."* 
Going  on  northward  along  the  eastern  wall,  we 
soon  came  to  the  Golden  Gate,  which  is  now 
walled  up  with  solid  masonry.  The  double  arch, 
with  ornamental  finish,  may  yet  be  seen,  with 
the  ancient  lintel  pierced  for  the  reception  of  the 
standards  belonging  to  the  absent  gates  or  doors. 
The  Mohammedans  have  a  tradition  that  when  the 
Saviour's  second  advent  takes  place  this  gate  will 
be  reopened  for  the  grand  procession,  and  that  then 
they  will  lose  their  possession  of  the  holy  city. 

As  we  reached  the  northern  wall  of  the  temple 
enclosure  we  came  to  Birket-Israil,  the  traditional 
Pool  of  Bethesda.f    It  is  an  unsightly  place,  being 

*  Matthew  4  -.  5. 

t  The  Pool  of  Bethesda,  near  the  sheep  market  or  place,  John 
5  :  1-9,  was  identified  with  the  modern  pool  Birket-Israil  by 
Capt.  Wilson  (see  Recovery  of  Jerusalem,  pp.   148-156).     This 


70 


TEi^T  ANJJ  SADDLE  Llt'L. 


]...., ,A../.. 

by  liimjils.) 

was  regarded  as  untenable  hy  Barclay,  as  was  also  the  so-called 
"Virgin  Fount"  (see  City  of  the  Great  King,  pp.  321,  325).    lie 
would  identify  Bethesda  with  one  of  the  '"  two  pools"  named  in 
the  Bordeaux  Pilgrim,  one  on  the  right  and  the  other  on  the  left 
of  the  temple.     But  Dr.  Barclay  supplies  a  supposed  omission  in 
the  text  of  John  5  :  2,  and  confesses  "  there  are  no  special  vestiges 
of  the  pool  to  be  seen  at  this  time."     Dr.  Ilobinson  proposed  to 
identify    Bethesda   with    the  Virgin's    Fount    {'Aiji    Umm    ed 
Deraj),  above  the  Pool  of  Siloam    [Silwan),  and  the  Palestine 
Fund  Exploration  Report,  just  issued,  adopts  it,  saying,  '"The 
modern  Jews  believe  the  waters  of  this  pool  to  be  a  sure  cure 
for  rheumatic  complaints.     They  often  go  in  numbers,  men  and 
women  together,  and  stand  in  their  clothes  in  the  pool,  waiting 
for  the  water  to  rise.     This  fact,  together  with  the  meaning  of 
the  name  Bethesda  (house  of  the  stream),  renders  it  very  prob- 
able that  the  Virgin's  Fountain  is  the  pool   mentioned  in  John 
5  :  2,  which  was  near  the  '  sheep  place,'  possibly  therefore  out- 
side Jerusalem."     See  Survey  of  Western  Palestine,  Jerusalem, 
p.  366  ;  also  Schaff's  Bible  Dictionary,  arts.  Bethesda  and  Jeru- 
salem.— Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MO  HI  AH.  71 

partially  filled  with  ashes  and  other  rubbish,  and 
without  water.  Captain  Warren  excavated  this 
pool  also,  and  found  it  to  be  the  bed  of  an  ancient 
valley,  eighty  feet  in  depth  and  running  out  into 
the  Kedron.  The  pool  was  formed  by  construct- 
ing a  wall  along  the  sides  and  across  this  rock 
channel,  and  supplying  it  with  water  by  a  conduit. 
He  found  the  depression  to  be  thirty-five  feet  in 
depth,  and  thus  was  compelled  to  dig  forty-five 
feet  in  order  to  reach  the  native  rock  at  the  bot- 
tom. This  bottom  he  estimates  to  be  165  feet 
lower  than  the  top  of  the  platform  around  the 
Dome  of  the  Rock. 

In  leaving  this  interesting  enclosure  we  passed 
the  site  of  the  ancient  tower  of  An  tenia,  which 
was  located  at  its  northwest  angle.  From  Jo- 
sephus  we  learn  that  around  this  tower  the  Jews 
rallied  in  their  final  conflict  with  the  Romans 
under  Titus,  a.d.  70,  for  the  possession  of  their 
sacred  temple.  The  Romans  were  strongly  en- 
trenched in  this  massive  tower,  and  the  Jews, 
stationed  on  the  temple  platform,  fought  with  the 
utmost  desperation  in  their  attempts  to  dislodge 
them.  All  their  love  and  reverence  for  their 
sanctuary  inspired  the  poor  Jews,  now  reduced 
to  the  last  extremity  by  famine  and  sword,  with 
an  almost  superhuman  heroism.  It  was  their 
dying  struggle  for  national  existence ;   and  the 


72  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

description  of  their  historian  is  simply  appaUing, 
with  its  details  of  suffering,  butchery,  and  fright- 
ful death.  It  was  at  this  time,  he  alleges,  that 
a  poor  Jewess  slew  her  son,  and  was  eating  his 
flesh,  to  satisfy  the  pangs  of  hunger,  when  the 
Romans  finally  accomplished  their  overwhelming 
defeat,  and  broke  into  the  portions  of  the  city  so 
long  under  siege.  From  this  historical  descrip- 
tion we  infer  that  Solomon's  temple  was  situated 
toward  the  western  side  of  the  enclosure,  and 
was  connected  with  Antonia  by  a  row  of  clois- 
ters, which,  being  set  on  fire  by  the  Romans, 
finally  reached  the  temple  and  destroyed  it.* 
Somewhere  on  the  Noble  Platform,  as  it  is  called, 
is  the  ancient  temple  site.  The  sacred  rock  must 
have  been  covered  by  it,  and  most  likely  was 
enclosed  within  the  Holy  of  Holies,  where  the 
ark  was  kept.  "  In  that  dark  receptacle,"  Dean 
Stanley  writes,  "  two  gigantic  guardians  were 
waiting  to  receive  the  ark,  on  the  great  day 
of  dedication  under  Solomon.  The  two  golden 
cherubs  were  spreading  forth  their  wings  to 
take  the  place  of  the  diminutive  figures  which 
had  crouched  over  it  up  to  this  time.  On  a 
rough  unhewn  projection  of  the  rock,  under  this 
covering,  the  ark  was  thrust  in,  and  placed 
lengthways   on  what  is   called  the  place   of  its 

*  Josephus  :  Wars,  vi.  4,  ^  5. 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MORIAH.  73 

rest."*  The  temple  fronted  the  east,  and  in 
entering  it  by  the  Golden  Gate,  the  worshipper 
came  first  into  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles ;  thence 
by  a  flight  of  steps  to  that  of  the  Jews,  with  the 
great  altar  of  burnt  offering  and  the  brazen  laver ; 
and  then,  before  him  arose  the  beautiful  sanctuary 
itself,  constructed  of  marble  and  cedar-wood  and 
ornamented  with  gold,  having  first  the  sanctuary 
with  the  altar  of  incense,  table  of  shew-bread 
.ind  golden  candlestick,  and  back  of  all,  as  we 
have  seen,  the  Holy  of  Holies,  which  no  man 
must  enter  but  the  high  priest,  and  he  only  once 
in  each  year. 

The  ark  had  not  reached  its  final  rest,  as  the 
Jews  fondly  hoped,  when  it  was  thrust  upon  the 
projecting  ledge  of  the  sacred  rock.  Indeed 
this  spot  is  as  much  a  place  of  warfare  as  of 
worship.  Four  hundred  years  after  the  dedica- 
tion of  Solomon's  temple,  Nebuchadnezzar  came,f 
"  and  burnt  the  house  of  God,  and  brake  down 
the  wall  of  Jerusalem,  and  burnt  all  the  palaces 
with  fire,  and  destroyed  all  the  goodly  vessels 
thereof."  What  scenes  of  strife  and  carnage 
have  happened  around  the  sacred  rock  from 
that  time  onward  !  The  revolutions  among  the 
Jews   themselves,   the    sieges   of  the  Egyptians 

*  History  of  Jewish  Church,  vol.  2,  p.  238. 
t  2  Chronicles  36  :  19. 


74  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

and  Syrians,  that  of  the  Romans,  the  Moham- 
medans and  tlie  Crusaders,  combine  to  make  this 
one  of  the  most  bloody  sites  of  human  history, 
as  it  has  for  centuries  been  regarded  as  the  most 
sacred. 

Near  the  site  of  ancient  Antonia  runs  the  Via 
Dolorosa — Sorrowful  Way — along  which,  tra- 
dition affirms,  Jesus  bore  his  cross  to  Calvary. 
This  tradition  is  doubtless  founded  on  the  idea 
that  the  "common  hall  of  the  soldiers,"*  men- 
tioned by  the  evangelist,  was  located  in  this 
tower.  This  narrow  street,  beginning  at  St.  Ste- 
phen's Gate,  passes  near  the  site  of  Antonia,  and 
continues  on  a  westward  course  until  it  reaches 
the  bed  of  the  Tyropoeon  Valley,  when  it  turns 
southward  along  a  street  leading  from  the  Damas- 
cus Gate  for  a  short  distance,  when  it  again  turns 
westward,  and  ends  on  the  ridge  behind  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

On  the  Friday  afternoon  during  our  stay  in 
Jerusalem  we  went  to  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Wailing-place  of  the  Jews."  This  place  is  on 
the  west  side  of  Mount  Moriah,  in  the  Tyropoeon 
Valley,  where  the  large  bevelled-edge  stones  in 
the  ancient  wall  indicate  the  substructions  of  the 
temple  of  Solomon.  Thirty  men  and  twenty 
women  were  present  on  that  occasion  to  lament 
*  Matthew  27  :  27. 


EccE  Homo  Arch,  Via  Dolorosa. 


SIGHTS  ON  MOUNT  MORI  AH.  77 

over  the  loss  of  their  temple  and  kiss  the  stones 
in   the   wall.     The   men   read   aloud   in   Hebrew 


The  Wailixu-place  of  the  Jews. 
{From  Photographs.) 


from  a  service-book,  in  a  kind  of  chanting  tone, 
while  waving  the  body  to  and  fro,  and  indulging 
in  loud  lamentations. 


CHAPTER  V. 

TOUR     TO     HEBRON. 

Having  gone  over  Mount  Moriah  quite  thor- 
oughly, we  thought  it  best  to  defer  further  exam- 
ination of  the  holy  city  for  the  present  and  make 
a  tour  southward  as  far  as  Hebron.  For  this 
trip  the  arrangements  had  already  been  com- 
pleted by  our  argus-eyed  drngoman  while  we 
were  exploring  the  temple  mount.  Accordingly 
we  were  early  astir  on  Thursday  morning,  select- 
ing our  horses,  strapping  our  water-proofs  to  the 
saddles,  and  consulting  maps  and  guide-books. 

On  this  occasion  we  were  to  have  a  new  guide, 
named  John  Bernstein,  the  son  of  Moses.  He 
was  already  on  the  scene  of  action  in  front  of  the 
Mediterranean  Hotel,  quite  as  enthusiastic  as  any 
of  the  party,  and  eager  for  departure.  John  was 
a  native  son  of  the  soil,  though  of  German  de- 
scent. He  was  a  mere  stripling  of  some  eighteen 
summers,  with  light-blue  eyes  and  long  auburn 
locks,  and  a  certain  reckless,  rakish  air  about  him 
that  gave  promise  of  high  adventure.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  mixed  fashion,  half  European  and 
half  Arabic,  with  civilized  coat  and  pants,  a  tar- 

(78) 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON.  79 

boosh  on  his  head,  and  a  broad  belt  at  his  waist 
gleaming  with  knife  and  pistol.  With  a  gallant 
wave  of  the  hand  he  exclaimed,  "All  ready  now ; 
will  the  gentlemen  kindly  mount  ?"  This  order, 
which  came  with  the  authority  of  a  commander- 
in-chief,  we  instantly  obeyed,  and  after  a  few 
clumsy  hitches,  the  five  of  us  found  ourselves  in 
the  saddles,  and  with  sundry  flourishes  on  the 
part  of  our  fresh  steeds  we  made  a  dash  for  the 
grim  old  Jaffa  Gate.  Having  safely  passed  the 
sleepy  Turkish  sentinel,  who  stood  like  a  statue 
with  his  back  braced  against  the  "  needle's  eye," 
we  came  at  once  to  the  vale  of  Hinnom. 

The  banks  of  the  ravine  are  rugged  and  quite 
steep  here,  and  we  were  content  to  clamber 
down  the  declivity,  without  thought  of  further 
display  of  horsemanship,  until  we  were  safe  at 
the  bottom.  The  ascent  of  the  southern  bank 
was  equally  difficult,  and  each  rider  found  suf- 
ficient employment  in  keeping  his  seat  while  the 
animals  slowly  clambered  to  the  summit.  At 
this  point  we  found  ourselves  on  the  border  of 
the  plain  of  Rephaim,  where  in  former  times  so 
many  battles  were  fought  between  the  Jews  and 
the  Philistines,  in  which  King  David  played  so 
prominent  a  part.  For  the  first  half  hour  we 
skirted  along  the  eastern  edge  of  this  plain.  It 
was  without  fences,  but  in  part  under  cultivation, 


80  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

the  soil  apparently  fertile  and  the  surface  thickly 
strewn  with  loose  stones.  It  slopes  gently  to  the 
southwest,  and  sends  all  its  w\iters  down  toward 
the  Mediterranean,  even  from  the  edge  of  the 
Hinnom,  whose  waters  flow  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion to  the  Dead  Sea. 

Though  we  were  upon  the  highway  leading  to 
the  south  country,  and  were  almost  within  a 
stone's  cast  of  the  great  metropolis  of  the  whole 
land,  yet  we  were  following  simply  a  winding 
path,  marked  out  apparently  by  the  footprints 
of  the  passing  camels,  horses,  and  donkeys.  It 
seemed  remarkable  to  Americans,  that  the 
people  of  this  land  had  been  content  to  follow 
this  winding  trail  from  the  days  of  Abraham, 
with  no  other  attempt  at  engineering  than  that 
accomplished  by  the  feet  of  passing  animals. 
Yet,  strange  as  it  seemed  to  us,  we  did  not  see  a 
single  wagon  road  in  Judea,  Samaria,  or  Galilee, 
except  the  indifferent  one  leading  from  Jaffa  to 
Jerusalem.* 

At  the  south  end  of  the  plain  we  ascended  the 
slope  of  the  hill  leading  up  to  the  Greek  convent 
named  Mar-Elias.  The  buildings  of  this  institu- 
tion are  quite  new  and  attractive  in  appearance. 
They  are  finely  situated  on  the  highest  elevation 

*A  diligence,  or  stage,  runs  from  Beirut  to  Damascus;  but 
this  road  is  in  northern  Syria. 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON.  81 

between  Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem,  and  from  this 
point  the  traveller  can  look  upon  the  Mosque  of 
Omar  and  the  Church  of  the  Nativity  in  Beth- 
lehem ;  by  a  simple  turn  of  the  head  he  can  see 
the  birth-place  of  Jesus,  the  place  where  he 
taught  in  the  temple,  the  site  of  Calvary,  and 
the  scene  of  his  final  ascension  from  the  top  of 
Olivet.  And  surely  no  place  beside  this  can 
boast  of  such  historical  and  sacred  associations 
in  its  scenery,  wherever  the  foot  of  man  may 
find  a  resting-place  the  world  around. 

A  smart  canter,  which  seemed  to  be  a  piece  of 
mischief  on  the  part  of  our  rollicking  guide,  who 
had  taken  this  opportunity  to  test  a  new  pair  of 
spurs  upon  his  steed,  brought  us  quickly  to  a 
wayside  structure  which  he  called  Rachel's 
Tomb.  This  was  a  small  structure,  not  unlike 
a  dwelling  of  that  country  in  appearance.  It 
consisted  of  two  parts,  on  one  of  which  was  a 
low  roof,  perfectly  flat,  and  upon  the  other  was 
the  usual  dome  found  upon  all  the  houses,  but  a 
little  larger  in  proportion,  as  if  intended  to  indi- 
cate that  the  building  was  used  as  a  place  of 
worship.  And  this  we  found  was  the  case  in 
fact,  for  the  Mohammedans  use  this  as  a  kubbeh 
or  praying-place.*     In  their  way  they  thus  keep 

*  The  kubbeh  is  a  square  building  with  a  court  on  the  east. 
The  original  building  was  open,  with  four  arcades,  one  on  each 
6 


82 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


up  a  standing  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  tra- 
dition that  this  is  the  veritable  spot,  "  but  a  little 
way   from   Ephrath"    (Bethlehem),  where   "Ra- 


ToMli    OF    ItACHliL,    NliAli    iJliTULEllli.M.        {Ajtcr  II  I'hutliljra j,}i .) 

side,  supporting  the  dome.  These  have  been  filled  iu  except  on 
the  east  side,  where  a  chamber  has  been  added.  The  original 
building  was  23  feet  on  each  side,  the  arcades  having  a  span  of 
H  feet.  The  height  of  the  walls  is  20  feet  and  of  the  dome  10 
feet.  A  monument  has  been  noted  on  this  spot  since  a.d.  333. 
In  A.D.  700  it  is  said  there  was  a  pyramid  on  the  site,  and  also 
in  A.D.  1100.  In  1422  a  Moslem  building  is  noticed  as  standing 
on  the  place.  The  Palestine  Survey  states  that  "there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  genuineness  of  the  tradition  in  which  Jew, 
Moslem  and  Christian  agree."  (See  Siiroey  W.  Paltstine,  vol. 
3,  p.  Vi():]—Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON. 


83 


chel  died,  and  was  buried  in  the  way."*  This 
is  but  a  poor  memorial  of  a  sad  and  touching 
event,  but  it  serves  to  remind  us  that  we  are 
travelling  in  the  footsteps  of  the  patriarchs,  and 
are  upon  the  scene  of  one  of  Israel's  heaviest 
sorrows.  It  is  well  that  the  beloved  wife  of 
Jacob  is  thus  remembered,  since  the  pillar  erected 
by  her  husband  upon  her  grave  has  long  since 
disappeared. 

As  we  were  examining  the  place  the  sound  of 
music  fell  upon  our  ears,  and  passing  around  to 


Ea'TLRN    M()URNEK'5   at   the  (iRAVE. 


the  west  side  of  the  building  we  perceived  that 
it  was  the  wailing  chant  of  some  Arab  women, 
who  were  sitting  around  the  tombs  in  the  adjacent 
grave-yard.    Their  song  was  a  kind  of  monotonous 

*  Genesis  35  :  19. 


84  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

chant,  raised  at  intervals  of  a  few  minutes  and 
then  suffered  to  die  away,  as  if  the  effort  had  re- 
lieved the  overburdened  heart  of  the  mourners. 
Thursday  of  each  week  is  devoted  to  this  office 
on  the  part  of  women  who  have  lately  been 
bereaved  of  friends,  and  the  custom  seems  to 
be  quite  prevalent  throughout  jdl  Mohammedan 
countries. 

We  were  reminded,  while  listening  to  this 
plaintive  song,  of  the  passage  of  Scripture  which 
describes  Rachel  as  weeping  for  her  children,  and 
would  not  be  comforted  because  they  were  not.* 
The  Scripture  has  been  variously  interpreted, 
but,  in  any  event,  we  think  that  it  must  be  re- 
ferred to  the  slaughter  of  children  by  the  order 
of  Herod  the  Great,  in  and  around  Bethlehem, 
in  order  to  cut  off  the  infant  Jesus  from  the  hope 
of  succession  to  the  throne.  And  if  Soba,  five 
miles  distant  toward  the  northwest,  be  the  Ra- 
mah  named  as  the  birth-place  of  Samuel,  then  the 
figure  can  be  explained.  Herod's  slaughter  of 
the  innocents  was  horrible  enough  to  cause  Ra- 
chel to  rise  from  this  tomb  and  lament  over  the 
cruel  death  of  her  descendants,  in  which  case  her 
shrieks  might  be  heard  at  Ramah,  which  is  in 
plain  sight  of  this  place,  though,  as  was  said, 
some   five  miles   distant      But,  as  for  the  Arab 

*  Matthew  2  :  18. 


TOUR  TO  II  ED  RON.  85 

women,  it  seemed  to  us  as  if  the  children  were 
there  that  day,  weeping  for  poor  Rachel. 

Though  we  were  now  in  sight  of  Bethlehem, 
we  concluded  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  visiting  it 
for  the  present,  and,  turning  westward,  pursued 
the  more  direct  route  towards  Hebron.  We  were 
soon  in  the  hill-country  of  Judea,  and  noticed  the 
same  features  of  landscape  which  we  had  ob- 
serA'^ed  in  approaching  Jerusalem  from  Joppa. 
On  either  hand  were  high  hills,  w^alled  up  with 
nature's  masonry,  the  nearly  horizontal  strata 
running  completely  around  the  curved  heads  of 
the  little  valleys,  and  giving  them  a  sombre  and 
rather  barren  appearance.  Not  a  tree  or  shrub 
appeared  in  sight.  Loose  fragments  of  stone 
were  strewn  along  the  crooked  bridle  path,  and 
not  a  single  house  appeared  along  the  rocky  slope 
which  lay  between  us  and  Bethlehem. 

Coming  to  the  summit  of  one  of  these  wild 
and  barren  hills,  our  guide  pointed  to  the  valley 
stretching  out  before  us,  and  announced  that 
there  lay  the  pools  of  Solomon.  Another  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  brought  us  to  the  old  Moham- 
medan fortress,  now  in  ruins,  located  just  at  the 
side  of  the  pools,  originally  intended  for  a  khan, 
perhaps,  to  accommodate  the  caravans  which 
might  pass  this  way  on  their  route  from  Egypt 
to  Damascus. 


86  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

The  pools  themselves  were  objects  of  great 
interest.  They  were  originally  built  by  Solomon 
for  the  purpose  of  supplying  Jerusalem  with 
water.  Just  at  the  base  of  the  hill  to  the  west- 
ward we  visited  the  sealed  fountain  which  sup- 
plies the  reservoirs.  A  round  structure,  which 
may  be  compared  to  a  low  tower,  built  of  stone, 
covers  the  fountain.  By  the  light  of  a  lantern 
we  descended  to  the  stream  bed,  and  found  a 
rivulet  of  pure  water  gurgling  over  the  native 
rock  on  its  way  to  the  pools. 

The  pools  consist  of  three  reservoirs,  lying  one 
above  another  across  the  valley  at  higher  levels 
as  they  approach  the  sealed  fountain.  They  are 
built  of  squared  stones,  and  bear  marks  of  the 
highest  antiquity,  and  are  so  situated  that  the 
bottom  of  the  one  is  higher  than  the  surface  of 
the  next  below,  rising  one  above  another  towards 
the  west.  They  are  all  covered  on  the  inside 
with  a  coat  of  cement,  which  must  have  certainly 
been  renewed  since  the  date  of  their  original  con- 
struction.   They  are  of  the  following  dimensions  : 

Length.     Breadth  (east  end).     Breadth  (west  end).    Depth. 

Upper  pool,  380  ft.  236  ft.  229  ft.         25  ft. 

(160  ft.  ab.  middle  pool.) 

Middle  pool,  423  ft.  250  ft.  160  ft.        39  ft. 

(248  ft.  ab.  lower  pool.) 

Lower  pool,  582  ft.  207  ft.  148  ft.         50  ft.* 

*  Four  springs  are  connected  with  the  pools,  one  in  a  rock 
chamber,   now   closed   by   a   wooden   door.      The  water  runs 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON.  89 

Not  far  from  these  pools  we  came  to  quite  a 
steep  hill,  over  which  the  pathway  ran  in  a  ser- 
pentine manner,  in  order  to  avoid  the  masses  of 
rock  which  projected  their  sharp  edges  into  it,  to 
the  great  discomfort  of  the  passer  by.  We  here 
met  a  large  caravan  of  Hebron  people  on  their 
way  northward.  Some  were  going  up  to  Jeru- 
salem, with  their  meagre  stock  of  produce  for  the 
market,  and  others  were  pilgrims  on  their  way  to 
observe  the  feast  of  Moses,  which  was  to  be  cel- 
ebrated at  his  traditional  tomb  near  Jericho. 
Some  were  mounted  in  a  kind  of  basket  on  cam- 
els, others  on  donkeys,  and  still  others  went  on 
foot.  The  party  was  composed  of  men,  women, 
and  children ;  the  women  carefully  drawing  down 
their  vails  at  our  approach,  and  the  children  peer- 
ing over  the  baskets  at  us  with  wonder  in  their 
bright  eyes,  as  they  went  swinging  down  the  hill- 
side, apparently  without  fear  that  the  great  camel 
on  which  they  sat  would  make  a  misstep  and  dash 
them  on  the  rocks. 

From  the  summit  of  this  hill  we  enjoyed  an- 
other wide  prospect.  In  a  deep  valley  toward 
the  east  we  noticed  the  remains  of  some  ancient 

through  a  vault  into  the  west  pool.  A  second  spring  is  said  to 
be  beneath  the  pools  ;  a  third  on  the  hillside  southeast  of  the 
pools;  a  fourth  inside  the  old  castle  north  of  the  upper  pool. 
The  pools  were  further  supplied  from  a  well  in  the  valley. — Ed. 
Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


90  ■  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

stone  structure,  doubtless  a  ruined  sheepfold, 
near  which  were  some  shepherds  attending  their 
flocks.     The  sheep  were  taller  than  those  of  our 


Eastern  Sheepfold. 


own  country,  and  nimbly  skipped  from  terrace  to 
terrace  along  the  hillside,  giving  the  shepherd 
enough  to  do  to  keep  them  together.  They  ap- 
peared to  be  constantly  anxious  to  escape  from 
him  and  climb  up  the  steep  hillside,  and  he  was 
all  the  while  on  the  watch  to  prevent  them,  for 
the  best  pasture  was  down  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills  and  along  the  water-courses,  where  he  was 
anxious  they  should  feed.  So,  we  thought,  the 
Good  Shepherd  would  keep  us  down  in  the  hum- 
ble vale,  but  we  are  ever  anxious  to  climb  up 
to  some  dangerous  place  of  worldly  distinction, 
where  our  souls  would  soon  starve  for  the  want 
of  spiritual  food. 

"  Oh,  tell  me,  thou  Life  and  Delight  of  my  soul, 
Where  the  flock  of  thy  pasture  are  feeding. 
I  seek  thy  protection,  I  need  thy  control, 
I  would  go  where  my  Shepherd  is  leading. 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON.         '  91 

"Oh,  tell  me  the  place  where  thy  flock  are  at  rest, 
Where  the  noontide  will  find  them  reposing ; 
The  tempest  now  rages,  my  soul  is  distressed, 
And  the  pathway  of  peace  I  am  losing. 

"  And  why  should  I  stray  with  the  flocks  of  thy  foes 
In  the  desert  where  now  they  are  roving, 
Where  hunger  and  thirst,  where  contentions  and  woes 
And  fierce  conflicts  their  ruin  are  proving? 

"  Ah,  when  shall  my  woes  and  my  wanderings  cease. 
And  the  follies  that  fill  me  with  weeping? 
0  Shepherd  of  Israel,  restore  me  that  peace 
Thou  dost  give  to  the  flock  thou  art  keeping ! 

"  A  voice  from  the  Shepherd  now  bids  me  return 
By  the  way  where  the  footprints  are  lying, 
No  longer  to  wander,  no  longer  to  mourn, 
And  homeward  my  spirit  is  flying." 

We  now  came  into  a  delightful  little  valley,  in 
the  midst  of  which  the  waters  of  a  brook  made 
sweet  music  as  it  rippled  over  its  shingly  bed. 
Here  we  saw  a  profusion  of  wild  flowers — pinks, 
buttercups,  violets,  wild  tulips,  anemones,  and 
many  others  entirely  new  to  us — which  greatly 
heightened  the  beauty  of  the  place.  The  music 
of  the  rivulet,  the  color  and  sweet  odor  of  the 
flowers,  with  the  song  of  the  shepherds  and  the 
tinkling  of  the  sheep-bells  on  the  surrounding 
hillsides,  made  this  a  most  delightful  place. 

Soon  after  we  reached  a  little  field  of  wheat  in 
a  widened  part  of  the  valley,  where  our  guide 
began   his   usual   pranks.      No    sooner   had   he 


92  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

reached  the  borders  of  the  field,  which  was  with- 
out any  fence  whatever,  than  he  set  spurs  to  his 
horse,  and,  shouting  to  us  to  come  on,  dashed 
through  the  midst  of  the  growing  grain.  As  we 
did  not  think  it  right  thus  to  injure  the  ffirmer's 
crop,  we  kept  along  the  border,  but  had  to  make 
great  ado  with  whip  and  reins  to  keep  him  in 
sight,  as  he  darted  around  the  curves  of  the 
valley  far  in  advance.  When,  after  a  thorough 
jolting,  our  knapsacks  all  in  disorder,  we  over- 
took him,  he  explained  to  us  that  the  farmers  in 
that  land  thought  it  would  bring  good  luck  if  a 
stranger  would  thus  ride  through  their  grain 
fields ;  and,  as  he  was  of  an  obliging  disposition, 
he  did  not  wish  to  pass  through  the  country 
without  doing  all  the  good  he  could. 

Leaving  the  pleasant  little  vale  behind  us,  we 
next  climbed  another  hillside,  and  found  at  the 
top  one  of  the  primitive  threshing-floors  so  often 
mentioned  in  the  Bible.  It  was  located  on  the 
smooth  rock  surface,  with  a  wall  at  the  lower 
side,  where  the  rock  dipped  beneath  the  soil.  Of 
course  it  was  not  in  use  at  the  time  of  our  visit ; 
but  in  the  harvest  time  the  farmers  bring  hither 
the  sheaves  of  grain,  and  drive  the  oxen  over 
them  until  they  tread  out  the  kernels  with  their 
sharp  hoofs.  Then  the  straw  is  removed,  and 
the  grain  and  chaff  are  tossed  up  in  the  air  that 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON.  93 

the  wind  may  blow  the  chaff  away.  The  grain, 
thus  winnowed,  is  then  removed  to  the  dry  cis- 
terns for  preservation,  or  to  the  farmer's  house 
for  future  use. 

While  we  were  unable  to  witness  the  threshing 
process  in  Palestine,  on  account  of  the  season  of 
the  year,  we  were  gratified  to  see  the  process  of 
ploughing  and  sowing,  which  was  just  then  in 


Eastern  Plough. 
[Similar  to  but  not  identical  with  that  described.] 

progress.  In  a  little  gravelly  field  against  the 
hillside,  not  far  from  the  threshing-floor,  we  came 
upon  a  group  of  men  and  boys  just  starting  the 
plough.  We  dismounted  and  examined  the  uten- 
sil. The  plough  of  Palestine  is  truly  a  primitive 
affair.  It  consists  of  an  upright  piece  of  wood, 
either  a  sapling  or  the  limb  of  a  tree,  with  a 
wrought-iron  share,  similar  to  the  hoe  of  a  grain- 
drill  in  shape,  at  the  lower  end,  and  a  handle  at 
the  top.  To  this  a  horizontal  piece  of  wood  is 
fastened  for  a  "  beam,"  with  a  slim  sapling  lashed 
to  its  forward  end,  on  either  side  of  which  the 


94  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

oxen  walk  cas  they  draw  in  a  long  slender  yoke. 
The  plough  could  easily  be  lifted  by  one  hand  of 
the  ploughman,  and  it  only  made  a  ripple  in  the 
soil,  without  turning  a  furrow.  I  counted  fifteen 
men  and  boys  in  this  group  on  the  small  field, 
with  three  yoke  of  little  black  oxen,  and  a  camel 
and  a  donkey,  for  witnesses,  near  by.  Our  thrifty 
American  farmers  would  be  greatly  amused  at  a 
sight  like  this. 

Our  lunching-place  on  this  day  was  at  a  fine 
spring  by  the  wjiyside,  just  at  the  foot  of  another 
long  range  of  hills.     Again  we  noticed   the   ab- 
sence of  dwelling-houses  along  the  highway.    We 
had   not  passed  a  single   structure   of  the   kind 
during  our  long  ride  from  Jerusalem.     But  we 
now  observed  that  the  little  hamlets  of  the  farm- 
ers   were    located    upon   the   crest  of   the   hills, 
usually  at  quite  a  distance  from  the  road.     We 
could   see   two  such   hamlets   from   our  present 
position.     One,  far  towards  the  east,  was  named 
Nchi-Yunis    (tomb   of  Jonah),  and   boasted   of  a 
sort  of  tower,  erected  in  honor   of  the   recreant 
prophet.     At  a  nearer  point,  also  on  the  hill-top, 
we    saw   the   little   villnge  named   HuIJiul,  i.  e., 
praise   (the   Halhul   of  Josh.  15:58),  and  it  is 
affirmed  that  it  has   borne  this   name   for   three 
thousand  three  hundred  years.     So  little  do  the 
people  in  that  land  favor  the  progress  which,  many 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON.  95 

people  think,  comes  with  frequent  alterations  and 
changes. 

As  we   rode   up  to  the   spring  we  found  the 
place   occupied  by  a  single   traveller,   an   Arab, 
evidently  of  some  distinction,  who  was  waiting 
while    his    splendid   horse   was    drinking   at   the 
trough  below  the  spring.     He  simply  glanced  at 
us  with  his  keen  black  eyes,  which   flashed   from 
beneath   his   white    turban,  in   a   half-inquisitive 
and  half-defiant  manner,  as  if  he  would  question 
our  right  to   the   hospitality  of  the  place.     We 
thought  that  there  might  be  some  sort  of  collis- 
ion between  him  and  our  mettlesome  John ;  but 
the  latter  proceeded  a  little  beyond  the  spring, 
and,   dismounting,  allowed   his   aid  to   hold    our 
horses,  while  he  set  about  the  preparation  of  our 
repast.     The  Arab  leisurely  left  the  water-trough 
when  his  beast  had  satisfied  his  thirst,  and,  re- 
moving saddle  and  bridle,  allowed  him  to  wander 
at  will,  and  crop  the  fresh  grass  which  he  found 
in  abundance  on  every  side.     The  horseman  then 
spread  his  blanket  and  coat  on  the  ground,  and, 
bowing   his    head    and    pointing  with  his   hands 
towards   Mecca,  began  his   prayers.     He   would 
kneel  down,  lie  down  flat  upon  his  face,  assume 
an  erect  posture   again,  all  the  while   repeating 
something  in  an  undertone.     Nor  did  he  give  the 
slightest  heed  to  his  horse,  or  to  the  movements 


96  TENT  AND  SADDLK  LIFE. 

of  our  party,  until  his  prayers  were  finished. 
Evidently  this  man  was  not  ashamed  of  his  re- 
ligion, and  we  could  but  honor  him  for  it,  though 
we  wished  that  he  might  come  to  know  and  wor- 
ship that  Saviour  in  whose  land  he  dwelt. 

Luncheon  finished,  we  were  again  in  the  sad- 
dle, and,  after  making  another  tedious  ascent, 
came  upon  the  highest  ground  between  Jerusalem 
and  Hebron,  where  an  ancient  ruin  lies  eastward 
from  the  highway,  named  Ramet  or  Beit  el  Khulil, 
which  we  did  not  visit  until  our  return.  We  now 
commenced  our  descent  toward  the  valley  where 
Hebron  is  situated,  through  the  bed  of  a  narrow 
ravine,  where  our  horses  found  great  difficulty  in 
keeping  a  foothold  because  of  loose  rolling  stones, 
which  had  been  washed  down  by  the  late  winter 
rains.  From  this  narrow  wady  we  soon  emerged 
into  the  Hebron  valley,  running  east  and  west, 
where,  but  a  short  distance  in  advance  of  us,  we 
saw  the  dwellings  and  grand  mosque  of  the  ancient 
city. 

Our  entrance  to  Hebron  was  not  calculated  to 
inspire  us  with  very  exalted  views  of  the  place. 
We  found  the  streets  narrow  and  disgustingly 
filthy.  The  buildings  were  generally  old  and  of 
inferior  size,  and  rude  in  style  of  architecture. 
The  inhabitants  were  either  Jews  or  Mohammed- 
ans, and  betrayed  their  ignorance  and  fanaticism 


TOUR  TO  HEBRON.  dY 

in  their  manners  and  dress.  As  we  alighted  at 
the  door  of  a  kind  of  khan,  where  we  were  to 
leave  our  horses,  a  crowd  of  idlers  leered  at  us 
insolently,  and  slunk  away  from  our  sight.  The 
khan  was  a  place  for  general  repairs  for  both  man 
and   beast.     It  consisted   of   a   large   court-yard 


Vii;w  OF  Hebron  from  the  Soxtth.    {Afler  Phnlograph  by  Bonfils.) 

open  to  the  sky,  with  stables  at  the  farther  side, 
while  near  the  entrance  was  an  arrangement 
which  looked  to  us  like  a  blacksmith's  forge. 

Having  given  our  horses  in  charge  of  one  of 
the  attendants,  our  guide  approached  a  grimy- 
looking  man  near  the  forge,  whom  we  had  sup- 
posed to  be  the  smith,  and  said  something  to  him 


98  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

in  Arabic.  Whatever  was  said,  it  seemed  to  have 
more  influence  with  this  man  of  swarthy  skin, 
dirty  hands  and  yellow,  atrabiliary  eyes,  than 
we  had  supposed  possible.  He  slowly  arose  from 
the  round  boulder  on  which  he  had  been  sitting 
by  the  side  of  the  gate,  and,  going  to  the  forge, 
raked  together  the  fragments  of  charcoal  smol- 
dering there,  and,  taking  an  old  tin  vessel  in  his 
hand,  proceeded  to  steep  the  black,  thick  coffee 
commonly  used  by  the  Turks.  This,  when  pre- 
pared, he  put  with  syrup  into  tiny  cups,  which 
may  have  been  made  of  terra-cotta,  but  to  us 
looked  like  lacquer-work  from  the  coating  of 
grease  and  soot.  These  cups  the  guide  passed 
around  to  us  with  a  lofty  flourish,  bidding  us 
drink  as  an  antidote  for  the  fjitigue  of  our  long 
ride.  We  were  too  weary  and  thirsty  to  stand 
on  ceremony,  and  so  sipped  the  "  villainous " 
mixture,  which  was  like  syrup  for  sweetness,  and 
almost  like  lye  for  strength.  < 

From  the  forge,  which  thus  proved  to  be  no 
forge  at  all,  but  a  coffee-house,  we  proceeded  on 
foot  to  inspect  the  Haram,  or  grand  mosque.  This 
large  building,  which  stands  just  in  the  rear  of 
the  village,  with  its  end  thrust  against  the  base 
of  the  steep  hill  overshadowing  it,  is  supposed 
to  cover  the  cave  of  Machpelah,  which  Abraham 
bought  for  a  burial-place,  and  where,  it  is  thought, 


roUR   TO  II  ED  RON. 


99 


Abraham  and   Sarah,  Isaac  and  Rebecca,  Jacob 
and  Leah  are  buried.* 


We  were  not  allowed  to  enter  the  building,  be- 
cause we  were  not  Mohammedans,  and  were  led 
around  to  the  hillside  just  back  of  the  mosque, 
close  to  the  wall  where  it  is  affirmed  the  cave  is 
'  situated. f     It  has  been  thought  that  the  body  of 

*  Genesis  23  :  17-20. 

f  Only  four  times  have  Chi-istians  been  permitted  to  enter  this 
mosque — the  Prince  of  Wales  in  1862  and  1881,  the  Marquis  of 
Bute  in  1866,  and  the  Crown  Prince  of  Russia  in  1869.  The 
visitors  were  accompanied  by  Dean  Stanley,  Fergusson,  Rosen 
and  others.  The  Hebron  Haram  is  almost  an  exact  copy  in 
miniature  of  the  temple  area  at  Jerusalem.  For  concise  de- 
scription of  Hebron  and  the  cave  of  Machpelah,  see  Schaff^s 
Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  pp.  372,  575,  576. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S. 
Union. 


100  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

Jacob,  being  embalmed  by  the  skillful  Ejjyptians, 
may  be  still  in  a  good  state  of  presei'vatioii ;  but 
the  cave  is  regarded  as  so  sacred  that  even  the 
Mohammedans  are  not  allowed  to  enter  it,  and 
thus  nothing  positive  is  known  regarding  its  pres- 
ent contents.  The  tradition  is  ])robably  correct, 
however,  which  locates  Machpelah  here,  and  we 
were  not  many  feet  away  from  the  resting-place 
of  the  patriarchs.  This  in  itself  was  a  great  priv- 
ilege, and  we  could  scarcely  realize  that  Abraham 
had  often  looked  upon  this  stony  hillside  against 
which  "we  were  standing,  nay,  that  his  feet  had 
often  rested  on  these  enduring  strata  of  lime- 
stone rock,  which  change  not  from  age  to  age. 
But  the  best  authorities  affirm  that  the  veritable 
Machpelah  is  located  within  the  walls  of  the 
Haram,  and  there  doubtless  slumbers  the  dust  of 
the  ancient  and  illustrious  dead.     There  lie 

"The  patriarchs  of  the  infant  world,  the  kings, 
The  powerful  of  the  earth,  the  wise,  the  good, 
Fair  forms  and  hoary  seers  of  ages  past — 
All  in  one  mighty  sepulchre.'' 

There  was  little  in  Hebron  to  interest  us,  be- 
sides the  site  of  the  mosque  and  the  general  as- 
pect of  the  surrounding  hills.  We  returned  to 
the  khan  without  molestation,  though  assailed  by 
fierce  looks  and  threatening  gestures  from  the 
rough  men  in  the   streets.     We  were  prepared 


TOUR   TO  HEBRON.  101 

for  all  this  by  reports  of  previous  travellers,  but 
had  not  anticipated  fully  the  fact  that  Hebron  is 
one  of  the  most  secluded  and  out-of-the-way 
places  of  this  unprogressive  country.  With  no 
outlet  of  travel,  except  through  the  stony  bed  of 
a  ravine,  and  a  rough  trail  over  the  mountains  to 
Jerusalem,  twenty  miles  distant,  these  long-haired 
Jews,  and  ochre-colored  Arabs  of  Hebron,  will  pass 
through  the  round  of  life,  in  this  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, with  the  idea  that  there  is  just  one  other 
nation  besides  themselves,  namely,  Franks,  whose 
traders  come  to  their  town  to  gaze  upon  their 
mosque  and  rough  hillsides.  They  will  live  and 
die  in  blissful  ignorance  of  all  the  mighty  seas, 
continents,  and  cities  beyond  them,  and  of  all 
the  improvements,  inventions,  and  refinements  of 
modern  life,  and  also,  it  is  to  be  feared,  without 
a  true  knowledge  of  the  way  of  salvation  through 
the  Redeemer. 

In  passing  from  the  khan  we  came  to  the  pool 
over  which  David  hanged  the  murderers  of  Ish- 
bosheth,*  and,  emerging  from  the  town,  passed 
on  our  way  up  the  valley,  westward,  to  the  Rus- 
sian hospice,  where  we  were  to  pass  the  night. 
This  is  a  large  and  well-built  structure,  located 
at  the  side  of  the  great  terebinth  tree,  known  as 
Abraham's  oak,  on  the  north  side  of  the  pleasant 

*  2  Samuel  4:12. 


102  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

vale  of  Hebron.  Before  the  sun  had  set  we 
passed  over  on  foot  to  the  summit  of  the  opposite 
hill,  and  took  in  an  extensive  view  towards  the 
desert.  The  great  ridges  of  black  rock  swept 
away  to  the  southward  like  the  huge  rolling 
billows  of  a  mighty  ocean,  there  transfixed  and 
petrified.  With  the  aid  of  the  field-glass  and  the 
pocket  compass  and  map  we  looked  towards  the 
site  of  Sodom,  whence  perchance  from  this  very 
hill-top  Abraham  "  gat  up  early  in  the  morning 
to  the  place  where  he  stood  before  the  Lord,"  and 
saw  that  "the  smoke  of  the  country  went  up  as 
the  smoke  of  a  furnace."'^ 

Almost  within  sight,  southward,  lay  Juttah, 
the  birth-place  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  farther 
away  to  the  southwest  was  Beer-sheba,  another 
of  the  haunts,  and  homes,  of  the  patriarchs. 

Having  thus  taken  in  the  wide  barren  landscape 
before  us,  we  turned  to  examine  the  vineyard  en- 
closure where  we  were  standing.  Never  before 
had  the  description  of  the  parables  of  Scripture 
been  so  fully  realized.  Here  was  the  "  hedge  " 
around  the  outside  to  keep  out  intruders.  Here 
was  the  "  lodge  "  occupied  by  the  vineyard  dresser 
in  the  grape  season,  and  at  one  corner  was  the 
"  tower "  from  which  he  could  look  all  over  the 
place  and  detect  the  presence  of  an  enemy. 

*  Genesis  19  :  27,  28. 


TOUR   TO  HEBRON.  103 

A})proaching  twilight  warned  us  to  seek  our 
hospice,  and,  with  weariness,  yet  with  delight 
and  gratification  at  what  we  had  seen,  we  re- 
crossed  the  benutiful  valley  to  our  lodging-place 
for  the  night.  Upon  our  arrival  the  guide  in- 
formed us  that  a  good  view  of  the  whole  valley 
could  be  had  from  the  roof  of  the  building,  to 
which  we  at  once  ascended.  There  we  saw  the 
constellations  come  out  in  a  radiancy  never  seen 
by  us  before  or  since.  The  air  was  so  clear  that 
Sirius  appeared  almost  like  the  great  sun  which 
he  really  is.  The  mighty  dome,  radiant  with 
beaming  stars,  seemed  to  span  the  narrow  valley 
and  rest  upon  the  hill-tops  on  either  side.  The 
giant  oak  stretched  out  its  long  branches  almost 
under  our  feet,  where,  it  is  said,  Abraham  and 
Siirah  entertained  the  three  angels.  It  was  late 
at  night  before  we  retired  to  our  rooms ;  nor  will 
we  soon  forget  our  stay  at  Hebron. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM    HEBRON    TO    BETHLEHEM. 

With  the  early  morning  our  indefatigable  guide 
was  astir,  and  when  the  sun  first  shone  on  the 
mosque  of  Hebron  our  little  party  filed  through 
the  narrow  valley  of  Eshcol,  lined  with  vineyards 
on  either  side,  and  took  its  way  back  towards 
Solomon's  Pools,  over  the  route  by  which  we  had 
passed  on  the  preceding  day.  We  had  no  good 
reasons  for  doubting  the  tradition  which  fixes 
upon  this  little  vale  as  the  Eshcol  whence  the 
spies  brought  the  branch  with  one  cluster  of 
grapes,  which  they  bore  betwe^n  two  upon  a 
staff;  whence  also  they  brought  of  the  pome- 
granates, and  of  the  figs,* 

The  fruitfulness  of  Eshcol  has  evidently  not 
diminished  since  the  times  of  the  Exodus.  Fine 
vineyards  were  to  be  seen  on  either  side  of  the 
little  wady,  with  low  stone  walls  surrounding 
them,  most  of  them  also  having  a  tower  at  the 
side  or  corner  of  the  enclosure.  At  one  time,  by 
actual   count,   there    were    fifty-eight   towers    in 

*  Numbers  13  :  23, 

(104) 


FROM  HEBRON  TO  BETHLEHEM. 


105 


Vineyard  in  Syria. 


sight,  most  of  them  in  good  repair,  though  a  por- 
tion of  them  were  in  partial  ruin. 

After  ascending  the  hill  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
ruined  village  named  Khurbet  en-Nusara  {i.  e.,  the 
destruction  of  Christians).  Some  years  since 
the  Mohammedans  fell  upon  the  Christians  here, 
and  either  put  them  to  death  or  drove  them  from 
the  district.  The  whole  region  is  now  occupied 
by  Jews  and  Mohammedans,  and  thus  evidently 
Moslem  fanaticism  has  reached  a  rank  growth  at 
Hebron  and  in  its  environments,     Somewhat  to 


106  TENT  A  ND  SA  D D L  K  L IFE. 

the  eastward,  and  on  a  height  of  ground,  we 
found  a  slight  depression  of  the  surface,  where 
again  our  guide  led  us  directly  through  a  field 
of  growing  wheat  to  an  ancient  ruin  known  as 
Beit  el  Khidil.  The  remains  of  fine  stone  walls, 
as  of  the  foundations  of  several  buildings,  are 
here  plainly  to  be  seen,  covering  an  area  of 
about  two  hundred  by  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet.  The  Jews  call  this  ruin  "the  house  of 
Abraham,"  and  claim  that  the  shallow  depres- 
sion, extending  in  front  of  it  from  east  to  west, 
is  the  true  vale  of  Mamre.  It  is  likely  that 
this  is  the  ruin  of  a  church  begun  by  Constantine 
the  great  builder  about  320  a.d.,  but  never  com- 
pleted.* 

It  was  ten  o'clock  when  we  reached  Solomon's 
Pools  once  more ;  and  as  we  were  to  meet  with 
another  party  of  tourists,  who  had  not  yet  arrived 

*  This  heit^  or  house,  is  a  very  old  ruin.  It  is  called  "  Abra- 
ham's house,"  by  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  in  the  twelfth  century, 
and  is  so  called  by  modern  Jews  of  Hebron.  It  is  perhaps  the 
market  mentioned  by  Sozomen  (Hist.  ii.  4),  where  Hadrian  sold 
Jewish  captives,  a.d.  135,  and  near  Constantine's  basilica  at  the 
terebinth  of  Mamre.  Two  courses  of  the  house  wall  remain; 
one  is  162  feet  long,  and  the  other  214  feet  long,  and  each  wall 
is  6  feet  thick.  A  well  a  few  feet  from  the  west  wall  is  called 
Bir  el  Khulil,  "  the  well  of  the  friend,"  i.  e.,  Abraham.  The 
well  is  17  feet  in  diameter,  lined  with  ashlar  cut  carefully  to 
the  curve  of  the  well.  About  fifty  yards  east  of  the  beit,  is  the 
ruin  of  the  basilica  of  Constantine.  See  Survey  of  Palestine, 
vol.  iii.  pp.  322,  323.— Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


FROM  HEHROJV  TO  BETHLEHEM.  107 

from  Jerusalem,  we  had  ample  leisure  to  survey 
all  the  surroundings  of  the  place.  We  entered 
into  the  ruins  of  the  old  fortress  or  khan,  and 
found  traces  of  its  former  importance  still  remain- 
ing. The  walls  were  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
feet  in  height,  enclosing  a  large  quadrangle ;  and 
along  the  inside  of  the  walls  were  huge  ranks  of 
earthen  jars  lying  upon  their  sides  with  their 
mouths,  or  open  tops,  turned  outward,  and  from 
these  issued  great  numbers  of  bees  in  quest  of 
honey.  As  the  morning  was  warm  and  bright 
the  honey  makers  were  very  busy,  and  the  old 
khan  was  once  again  filled  with  nearly  as  great 
buzz  and  bustle  as  in  days  of  yore,  when  pilgrims 
from  Egypt  and  from  Damascus  passed  in  and 
out  of  the  arched  gateways. 

The  party  from  Jerusalem  having  arrived,  we 
now  set  out  for  Bethlehem.  Our  course  lay  along 
the  north  side  of  the  three  pools,  and  then  fol- 
lowed the  line  of  the  ancient  conduit  through 
which  Solomon  conveyed  the  water  to  Jerusalem, 
some  eight  miles  distant. 

Continuing  eastward  beside  the  valley  Urtas 
we  kept  well  up  along  the  hillside,  which  was  in 
places  quite  precipitous,  with  a  grim  gray  surface 
of  solid  rock.  The  valley  soon  fell  away  into  a 
deep  bed,  where  we  saw  a  little  village  with  fer- 
tile gardens,  the  site  no  doubt  of  ancient  Etam. 


108  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

This  may  have  been  the  scene  of  some  of  Sam- 
son's wonderful  exploits. 

And  here  also  Solomon  had  '^'  a  garden  and 
orchards,  and  planted  in  them  of  all  kinds  of 
fruits,"  and  "pools  of  water  to  water  therewith 
the  wood  that  bringeth  forth  trees."''' 

And  Josephus  states  that  the  king  laid  a  cause- 
way of  black  stone  along  the  roads  that  led  to 
Jerusalem,  and  that  he  used  to  go  out  of  the  city 
in  the  morning  upon  a  chariot,  attended  by  fine 
courtiers,  dressed  in  a  white  garment.  "  There 
was  a  certain  place,  about  fifty  furlongs  distant 
from  Jerusalem,  which  is  called  Etham;  very 
pleasant  it  is  in  fine  gardens,  and  abounding  in 
rivulets  of  water ;  thither  did  he  use  to  go  out  in 
the  morning,  sitting  on  high  in  his  chariot." -|- 

The  valley  of  Urtas  could  be  conveniently 
watered  from  the  sealed  fountain  and  pools  just 
above,  and  thus  again  be  easily  restored  to  its 
ancient  fertility  and  beauty. 

Soon  after  this  we  came  to  the  eastern  face  of 
the  mountain,  and  turning  northward  we  reached 
the  gardens  and  fig  orchards  surrounding  Bethle- 

*  Eccl.  2  :  5,  6.  This  village  is  doubtless  correctly  located  in 
the  valley  of  Urtas.  The  Palestine  Survey  suggests  that  the  name 
is  retained  in  ^Ain  ''Atdn.  It  was  near  Bethlehem  and  Solo- 
mon's Gardens,  and  50  stadia  from  Jerusalem.  See  Palestine 
Survei/f  vol.  iii.  p.  43. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 

f  Antiquities,  viii.  7,  ^^  3,  4. 


FROM  HEBRON  TO  fiETHLUHEM. 


109 


hem  ;  and  urging  our  horses  up  a  steep  bridle-path 
we  found  ourselves  upon  the  summit  of  the  ridge, 
and  in  one  of  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city  hon- 
ored as  the  birth-place  of  Jesus. 

We  made  our  way  at  once  to  the  Latin  monas- 
tery, and  dined  with  the  brothers  at  the  refectory. 


Orhjiiial  rholwjmph  hy  B<mfils) 


who  showed  us  every  attention  after  receiving  the 
customary  fee  from  the  guide.  From  this  build- 
ing, which  is  a  portion  of  the  large  structure 
known  as  the  Church  of  the  Nativity,  we  passed 
into  the  main  portion  of  the  edifice,  and  down 
into  the  apartment  which  is  shown  as  the  cave  of 
the  Nativity. 

Here,  it  is   said,  the  infant  Jesus  was   born, 


110  TEN T  A ND  SADDLE  L IFE. 

wrapped  in  swaddling-clothes,  and  laid  in  a  man- 
ger.* There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  tra- 
dition is  correct  which  affirms  that  near  this  spot  is 
the  birth-place  of  the  world's  Redeemer.  As  early 
as  the  second  century  Justin  mentions  it,  and  in 
A.D.  325  the  empress  Helena  began  the  founda- 
tions of  the  present  edifice  to  mark  and  preserve 
the  sacred  site. 

We  found  ourselves  in  an  apartment  some 
thirty-eight  by  eleven  feet  in  size,  with  a  flat 
ceiling  of  native  rock  about  eight  feet  in  height. 
On  one  side  was  an  alcove,  in  the  vaulted  arch 
of  which  hung  a  number  of  silver  lamps,  which 
shed  their  mellow  light  upon  a  marble  shib  below. 
In  the  centre  of  this  slab  was  set  a  large  silver  plate 
with  star-shaped  points  on  its  circumference,  and 
the  words,  "Hie  de  Virgine  Maria  Jesus  Christus 
natus  est,"  engraved  upon  it. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  room  we  were  shown 
the  place  where  the  manger  stood,  in  which  the 
infant  Jesus  was  placed  by  his  mother.  Pilgrims 
were  coming  and  going  by  the  wide  stone  stair- 
ways at  either  end  of  the  apartment,  who,  bowing 
low  before  the  two  sacred  shrines,  impassionately 
kissed  and  embraced  the  cold  marble,  meanwhile 
reciting  their  forms  of  service.  One  could  not 
but  follow  their  movements  with  interest,  seeing 

*  Luke  2  :  7. 


FROM  HKIiRON  TO  BETHLEHEM.  HI 

their  profound  earnestness,  and  recalling  the  facts 
here  commemorated.  Many  of  them  had  hoarded 
their  meagre  earnings  for  years,  in  their  far-off 
Russian  homes,  and  now  they  had  devoted  their 
all,  to  travelling  and  other  expenses,  for  this  joy 
of  praying  at  the  place  of  their  Saviour's  birth. 

From  this  scene  we  were  led  by  our  guides, 
through  a  narrow  passage,  to  the  little  grotto 
where  Jerome  passed  some  thirty  years  of  his 
life  in  translating  the  Scriptures.  And  from  this 
we  returned  by  the  same  passage,  and  then  as- 
cended to  the  choir  of  the  church,  the  altar  of 
which  is  located  just  above  the  cave  of  the  Na- 
tivity. Here  also  a  service  was  in  progress,  and 
in  a  chapel  at  the  side,  a  large  number  of  women 
were  engaged  in  their  devotions.  Conscious  that 
this  shrine  worship  must  be  liable  to  many  defects, 
we  still  regarded  the  people  as  entirely  sincere,  in 
their  devotions,  at  the  birth-place  of  the  world's 
Redeemer.  Passing  on,  we  soon  completed  the 
circuit  of  the  holy  places,  and  leaving  the  ram- 
bling structure,  in  which  Romans,  Greeks,  and 
Armenians  have  their  altars  and  cloisters,  we 
came  into  the  open  air,  and  made  our  way  to  the 
eastern  end  of  the  hill  on  which  Bethlehem 
stands ;  and  upon  which  a  village  has  stood  from 
the  days  of  Ruth  and  David,  and  probably  from 
the  time  of  the  patriarchs.     At  this  point  we  had 


112  TENT  A  ND  SA  D  D  L  E  I IFE. 

our  most  satisfactory  view  of  Bethlehem  and  its 
surroundings. 

The  town  is  situated  upon  a  high  narrow 
ridge,  which  extends  eastward  from  the  main 
hills  of  Judea,  and  has  abrupt  banks  on 
either  side.  It  has  one  main  street  near  the 
crest,  which  is  flanked  by  others  of  less  preten- 
sion. The  houses  are  built  of  stone,  and  are  of 
a  better  class  than  those  of  Hebron,  for  the  peo- 
ple here  are  prevailingly  Cliristians.  There  are 
about  five  thousand  inhabitants  in  the  town,  and 
the  elevating  character  of  tlicir  faith  is  noticeable 
in  their  dress,  manners,  smd  architecture  ;  and  yet 
in  these  respects  there  is  opportunity  for  vnst 
improvement.  The  houses  are  mainly  grouped 
near  the  junction  of  the  ridge  with  the  main  hill, 
and  then  spread  out  to  a  point  just  beyond  the 
Church  of  the  Nativity,  where  they  fail  altogether, 
and  leave  the. extreme  summit  unoccupied.  To 
this  unoccupied  place  two  of  us  made  our  way, 
and  sitting  down  upon  a  rock  enjoyed  the  beauty 
of  the  scene. 

Looking  westward  we  saw,  on  either  side  of  the 
village,  the  terraced  gardens,  vineyards,  and  olive 
orchards,  with  neat  division-fences  built  of  the 
loose  stone  which  lie  in  profusion  on  the  surface 
surrounding  them.  The  gardens,  the  village,  and 
the  crowning  edifice  from  which  we  had  just  come, 


fROM  HEBRON  TO  JiETHLEHEM.  Il3 

the  centre  and  ornament  of  the  whok^,  together 
made  up  a  pleasing  picture. 

Looking  eastward  an  extensive  hindscape 
opened  before  us.  Over  a  vast  region  of  country 
the  eye  wandered  at  will,  and  noted  the  historic 
places  of  biblical  interest.  In.  this  plain  just  at 
our  feet  were  the  wheat  fields  in  wdiich  Ruth 
gleaned  in  the  days  of  Boaz.*  Yonder  in  the  far 
distance  lie  the  fields  of  Moab,  from  Avhence  she 
came  on  her  long  journey  with  Naomi.  And 
there,  just  a  little  farther  away  than  the  fields  of 
Boaz,  like  a  shelf  against  the  hillside,  lie  the 
fields  where  the  shepherds  were  keeping  watch 
over  their  flocks  by  night  on  the  first  Christmas 
eve  :f 

"  When  such  music  sweet 
Their  hearts  and  ears  did  g;reet, ' 
As  never  was  by  mortal  fingers  strook  ; 
Such  music  (as  'tis  said) 
Before  was  never  made, 

But  when  of  old  the  sons  of  morning  sung, 
While  the  Creator  great 
His  constellation  set. 
And  the  well-balanced  world  on  hinges  hung." 

It  "was  the  overture  of  the  angels,  "  Glory  to  God 
in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  to- 
ward men." 

Turning  the   eye   southward  we    look    at  the 

*  Ruth  2  :  2-17.  t  Luke  2  :  8-14. 


114  TEX  T  A  Nl)  SA  DDL  E  L IFE. 

rugged  fields  of  Tekoa,  where  the  herdsman 
Amos  left  his  occupation  to  enter  the  list  of  the 
sacred  prophets.  And  there  is  the  dun-colored 
truncated  cone,  now  known  as  the  Frank  Mounts 
a  in,  where  of  old  the  Amorites  kindled  their 
beacon  fires,  and  where  in  later  times  Herod  the 
Great  had  a  palace,  and  where  he  made  his  costly 
sepulchre. 

On  either  side  of  this  ridge  of  Bethlehem 
little  stream-beds  are  visible,  which  run  out  into 
deeper  wadies,  and  these  again  into  the  Urlas  and 
Kedron  valleys.  The  ridge  itself  falls  away  by 
steps  of  immense  magnitude  to  these  ravines ;  and 
far  away,  across  the  gray  and  rounded  hills  of 
limestone,  may  be  seen  the  deep,  deep  depression 
in  which  lie  the  bitter  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  along  its  farther  side  extend  the  giant  cliffs 
of  Moab. 

Once  more,  before  leaving  the  place,  we  glance 
along  the  side  of  the  ridge  towards  the  cave  of  the 
Nativity.  It  must  have  opened  northward  to- 
ward Jerusalem,  and  as  Joseph  and  Mary  came 
up  the  steep  ascent,  after  their  toilsome  journey 
from  Nazareth,  it  offered  them  their  first  choice, 
and  only  available  shelter. 

One  more  mark  of  biblical  interest  we  found  in 
Bethlehem.  It  was  the  traditional  well  of  David, 
to  which  the  young  men  broke  through  the  ranks 


FROM  HEBRON  TO  BETHLEHEM.  115 

of  the  Philistines,  and  brought  of  its  water  to  the 
thirsty  chieftain,  who  then  poured  it  out  on  the 
ground  as  an  offering.*  The  well  is  located  on 
a  hillock  just  without  the  gate  on  the  roadside 
toward  Jerusalem.f  As  we  dismounted  and  peered 
down  the  face  of  its  dark  walls,  we  heard  a  sepul- 
chral voice  from  within  utter  something  in  Ara- 
bic, at  which  w^e  were  at  first  startled,  but  were 
quickly  reassured  by  the  explanation  of  the  guide 
that  some  men  were  at  work  making  repairs  in  this 
well,  which  appeared  to  be  rather  a  huge  cistern. 
As  we  rode  on  toward  the  holy  city  we  cast 
many  a  longing  look  backward  at  the  crags  and 
gulches  behind  us,  where  David  as  a  shepherd 
boy  fought  his  battles  with  bears  and  lions  while 
in  charge  of  his  father  Jesse's  flocks  and  cattle. 
Presently  we  were  at  Rachel's  tomb  again,  and, 
hastening  our  pace,  we  were  not  long  in  reaching 
Jerusalem. 

*  1  Chronicles  11  :  17-19. 

f  The  modern  cistern  or  so-called  "David's  well"  cannot 
certainly  be  identified  with  the  true  site  of  the  well  named  in  2 
Samuel  23  :  14-17.  Tradition  has  identified  it  with  cisterns  a 
few  minutes  walk  from  Bethlehem,  thoufjh  the  tradition  is  not 
much  older  than  the  fifteenth  century. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

WALKS     ABOUT     ZION. 

"Walk  about  Zion,  and  go  round  about  her:  tell  the  towers 
thereof.  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks  ;  .  .  .  that  ye  may  tell 
it  to  the  generation  following"  (Psalm  48  :  12). 

Having  gone  over  Mount  Moriah  upon  our  first 
arrival  at  Jerusalem,  we  followed  the  advice  of 
the  Psalmist  with  respect  to  Mount  Zion.  The 
word  "Zion"  means  "the  sunny  place,"  and 
doubtless  this  portion  of  the  holy  city  was  thus 
named  because  its  slope  faces  the  east  and  south, 
where  the  rays  of  the  sun  have  their  strongest 

View  of  Jerusalem  from  the  South. — Jerusalem  covers  four 
or  five  hill-summits.  Within  the  city  walls,  on  the  southeast, 
is  Mount  Moriah,  the  site  of  the  temple,  now  covered  by  the 
Haram  enclosure  or  square,  within  which  is  the  Mosque  of 
Omar.  West  and  southwest  of  this  is  Mount  Zion,  a  portion  of 
which  is  without  the  city  wall.  Directly  south  of  Moriah  is  the 
hill  Ophel,  also  without  the  wall.  North  of  Mount  Moriah  is 
Bezetha,  or  the  "  new  city,"  and  west  of  Bezetha,  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  city,  is  Akra.  (Some,  however,  regard  Akra 
as  the  northwest  part  of  Mount  Zion.)  East  of  the  city  is 
the  Kedron,  or  valley  of  Jelioshaphat.  South  of  Mount  Zion 
is  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  which  extends  around  on  the  west 
side  of  the  city.  The  valleys  of  Hinnom  and  of  the  Kedron 
unite  south  of  the  city.  Between  Ophel  and  Mount  Zion  is  the 
Tyropoeon  Valley,  North  of  the  city  is  Scopus,  east  of  it  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  and  on  the  south  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel, 
(116) 


(117) 


WALKS  ABOUT  ZION.  119 

influence.  The  ridge  of  Zion  is  a  little  higher 
than  its  near  neighbor  Moriah,  and  the  shallow 
depression  known  as  the  Tyropoeon  Valley  is  all 
that  separates  them.  The  Zion  ridge  at  its 
southern  end  overlooks  the  valley  of  Hinnom, 
from  whence  its  eastern  face  runs  northward 
until  it  reaches  a  point  opposite  the  temple  site, 
where  it  curves  to  the  left  hand,  and  continues 
until  its  traces  are  lost  in  the  higher  ground  to 
the  west. 

The  first  object  of  interest  on  the  southern 
shoulder  of  the  mount,  where  once  stood  David's 
palace,  is  a  vast  pile  of  masonry,  with  turrets  at 
the  top  and  port-holes  beneath  them,  known  as 
the  tow^er  of  David.  It  is  an  ancient  and 
impressive  piece  of  architecture,  with  hyssop 
growing  out  of  its  gaping  seams,  and,  as  it  is 
connected  with  the  high  w^all  which  entirely 
surrounds  the  city,  it  was  only  intended  for 
defensive  purposes.  Near  by  this  structure, 
which  would  be  almost  useless  now  in  view  of 
the  methods  of  modern  warfare,  we  visited  the 
Armenian  church,  supposed  to  occupy  the  site  of 
the  palace  of  Caiaphas. 

A  gentle  old  priest  of  the  Armenian  faith  con- 
ducted us  through  the  little  church,  with  its  gro- 
tesque lamps,  w^hich  are  kept  burning  continually, 
and  displayed  an  old  Bible  and  other  relics,  such 


120  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

as  paintings,  tapestry  and  "  the  petrified  blood 
of  St.  James." 

Near  by  we  were  taken  to  the  upper  chamber 
in  which  tradition  says  Jesus  instituted  his  supper 
on  the  night  of  his  betrayal.  We  found  ourselves 
in  a  large,  but  dingy,  apartment,  controlled  by  the 
Mohammedans,  and  kept  by  them  as  a  sort  of  holy 
place.  The  walls  were  in  an  untidy  condition, 
having  been  at  some  remote  period  covered  with 
a  lime-wash,  which  was  now  deeply  weather- 
stained  and  uninviting  in  appearance.  The  ceil- 
ing was  sustained  by  three  groined  arches,  which 
rested  for  their  support  upon  three  pillars  near 
the  centre  of  the  apartment.  The  entire  aspect 
of  the  place  was  forbidding,  and  can  only  be 
viewed  by  Christians  with  dissatisfaction.  There 
is  small  ground  for  believing  it  to  be  the  room 
where  Jesus  and  his  disciples  observed  his  lagt 
passover. 

In  the  rear  of  this  chamber  we  were  shown  the 
traditional  tomb  of  David,  in  which  we  observed 
a  huge  sarcophagus,  twelve  feet  in  length  and 
broad  in  proportion,  covered  with  Arabic  signs 
after  the  style  of  the  royal  caskets  at  Constanti- 
nople. Upon  returning  from  this  spot  we  were 
shown  a  place  in  the  court-yard  of  the  Armenian 
buildings  where,  it  is  claimed,  the  apostle  Peter 
stood  when  he  denied  his  Master.     We  next  re- 


WALKS  ABOUT  ZION. 


121 


Tomb  of  David.    {After  a  Plioloijmph  by  Good) 

turned  to  David's  Street,  which  begins  at  the 
Jaffa  Gate,  and  runs  eastward  past  the  tower  of 
David,  the  Mediterranean  Hotel  and  the  quarters 
of  the  American  legation.  It  is  for  the  most  part 
narrow,  poorly  paved  and  untidy  to  the  last  de- 
gree. It  passes  between  the  pool  of  Hezekiah 
and  the  Jewish  quarter,  and  then  enters  the  little 
bazaar,  through  which,  by  a  sharp  turn  to  the 
left,  the  visitor  may  reach  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre.  In  following  this  route  the 
tourist  has  been  walking  along  the  eastern  face 
or  slope  of  Zion,  and  finds  at  least  that  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  is  located  in  a 
place  where  the  configuration  of  the  ground 
favors  the  view  that  it  was  anciently  a  garden. 


122 


TENT  AX/)  SADhLK  LIFE. 


Those  who  hold  to  Ihe  tradition.'il  theory  affirm 
that  Joseph's  garden  may  very  well  have  been  at 
this  point,  and  the  "  new  tomb  "  could  have  been 


Pool  of  Hezekiau,  inside  the  .Iakka  (.ah;.    \Ajicr  a  Photograph  by  Bonfils.) 

conveniently  excavated  in  the  side  of  the  lime- 
stone ridge,  while  near  by  might  have  been  the 
knoll  named  Calvary. 

The  one  passage  of  Scripture,  however,  which 
is  urged  against  the  theory  that  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which  is  located  just  on  this 
face  of  Zion,  well  towards  its  upper  or  western 
end,  covers  the  exact  spot  occupied  by  the  cross 
and  sepulchre  is  that  "  Jesus  suffered  without  the 
gate."  *  The  gate,  of  course,  was  in  a  line  with 
the  city  wall,  and  at  present  the  wall  is  outside 
the  location  named,  and  therefore  it  is  inferred  by 
some  writers  that  this  site  is  simply  traditional, 

*  Hebrews  13  :  12. 


WALKS  ABOUT  ZION.  123 

and  cannot  be  regarded  as  the  true  location. 
Others  answer  that  at  the  time  of  the  Saviour's 
crucifixion,  and  burial,  the  city  wall  ran  from  a 
point  near  the  junction  of  David's  Street  and  the 
bazaar,  directly  towards  the  Damascus  Gate, north- 
ward, and  thus  was  within  the  place  now  covered 
by  the  church  and  its  associated  structures. 

Besides  this,  it  is  afiirnied  that  constant  tradi- 
tion from  the  time  of  the  empress  Helena,  who 
first  began  the  work  of  erecting  a  chapel  here, 
through  her  son  Constantino  the  Great,  has  fixed 
upon  this  place  as  the  true  site  of  the  cross  and 
sepulchre.  The  question  is  far  from  a  satisfactory 
settlement. 

The  external  appearance  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  is  not  very  impressive.  From 
the  large  open  court  on  its  eastern  front  it  ap- 
pears as  a  vast  pile  of  ancient  masonry,  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  by  about 
two  hundred  and  eighty  in  width.  Two  square 
towers,  with  flat  tops,  and  a  broad  arched  en- 
trance in  the  middle  are  the  most  prominent 
features. 

Upon  entering,  the  visitor  finds  himself  in  a 
large  central  auditorium,  in  the  middle  of  which 
is  the  marble  chapel  or  mausoleum,  covering  the 
sacred  sepulchre,  and  around  which  are  the  pri- 
vate chapels  of  the  Latin,  Greek,  and  Armenian 


124  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

churches.  The  mausoleum  itself  is  divided  into 
two  small  compartments,  in  the  first  of  which  the 
window  is  shown  through  which  the  holy  fire  is 
handed  out  on  the  occasion  of  the  Easter  festival. 
The  second  compartment  is  the  most  sacred  of 
all,  for  it  is  said  to  contain  the  rock  of  the  true 
sepulchre,  though  this  is  carefully  concealed 
under  a  slab  of  pure  white  marble.  Forty-four 
beautiful  lamps  hang  above  this  marble  sarcoph- 
agus. Three  paintings  cover  the  walls,  the  cen- 
tral one  with  a  portrait  of  the  Saviour,  with  the 
scene  of  the  resurrection  at  one  end,  and  one  of 
the  ascension  at  the  other.  Only  four  or  five 
persons  can  be  admitted  to  the  place  at  once,  for 
it  is  scarcely  more  than  six  feet  square,  and,  as 
niiiy  be  supposed,  the  air  is  close  and  almost  sti- 
fling by  reason  of  the  presence  of  this  procession 
of  pilgrims,  who  follow  each  other  within  to  kiss 
the  marble  and  pray  before  the  paintings. 

Upon  leaving  this  consecrated  spot  we  were 
taken  to  a  room  located  quite  in  the  rear  of  the 
great  auditorium,  and  evidently  along  the  low  cliff 
of  ancient  Zion,  where  we  saw  the  traditional  tombs 
of  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea.  These 
open  tombs  were  side  by  side,  cut  out  of  the  soft 
yellow  limestone,  and,  as  Dean  Stanley  has  well 
observed,  are  evidently  very  ancient,  and  there- 
fore give  proof  that  this  was  once  indeed  a  place 


Interior  of  the  Church  of  thk  IIuly  Skpulchki 


WA LKS  AliOVT  ZION.  127 

of  burial.  Various  other  relics  were  displayed 
to  us  afterward  in  different  parts  of  the  building, 
and  finally  we  were  taken  up  a  flight  of  steps  to 
the  traditional  site  of  Calvary.  This  rock  was 
likewise  covered  with  marble,  and  a  silver  star, 
pierced  with  an  orifice  about  two  and  one-half 
inches  in  diameter,  indicated  the  place  where  the 
cross  stood,  and  near  by  a  crevice  was  pointed 
out  which  was  held  to  be  a  trace  of  the  rending 
of  the  rocks  at  the  crucifixion. 

We  were  favored  with  a  view  of  the  great  cer- 
emonies held  in  this  place  at  the  Easter  season 
by  attending  service  on  Palm  Sunday,  under  the 
escort  of  Colonel  Wilson,  the  resident  consul  of 
our  government  in  the  holy  city.  Early  in  the 
morning  we  undertook  to  make  our  way  through 
the  crowd  at  the  church  door  by  the  aid  of  Turk- 
ish soldiers.  At  last  we  pressed  our  way  in,  and 
obtained  seats  in  one  of  the  balconies  which  over- 
look the  vast  amphitheatre,  surrounding  the  sa- 
cred mausoleum. 

Soon  after  we  had  taken  our  places  a  stir  in 
the  crowd  announced  the  approach  of  the  first 
procession.  It  proved  to  be  the  Latins  (Roman 
Catholics),  and  was  composed  of  a  company  of 
priests,  chanting  as  they  marched,  attended  by 
persons  bearing  elegant  smoking  censers.  Then 
came  boys  v^ith  banners,  followed  by  the  higher 


128  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

dignitaries,  all  dressed  in  sacerdotal  robes,  at- 
tended also  by  men  with  smoking  censers.  Here 
followed  monks  and  others  bearing  palm  branches, 
which  they  waved  in  the  air.  After  marching 
three  times  around  the  sepulchre  they  halted  at 
the  entrance,  and  perfoimed  a  brief  mass,  and 
then,  under  the  conduct  of  Turkish  soldiers,  they 
retired  to  their  own  chapel. 

Soon  afterwards  the  procession  of  Greeks  en- 
tered from  their  private  chapel,  followed  by  their 
patriarch,  grandly  attired.  They  had  louder 
singing,  finer  banners,  a  greater  profusion  of  dec- 
orated palm  branches  and  a  larger  procession. 
They  marched  three  times  slowly  around  the 
place,  and  ended  their  service,  as  the  Latins  had 
done,  with  a  mass  at  the  entrance  to  the  tomb. 

Finally  the  Armenians  appeared,  with  a  greater 
number  of  participants,  with  still  more  gorgeous 
robes,  with  louder  singing  and  a  greater  concourse 
of  people  following.  They  paused  when  half- 
way around  the  third  time,  and  formed  a  circle 
of  their  priests,  while  the  patriarch  was  seated 
in  his  great  ornamented  chair.  Then  boys  came 
with  beautiful  fresh  flowers,  pink  and  white,  and 
scattered  them  in  profusion  on  the  pavement  be- 
fore them.  At  last  they  finished  their  service 
as  the  others  had  done,  and,  amid  great  enthusi- 
asm on  the  part  of  the  spectators,  withdrew. 


WALKS  ABOUT  may.  129 

We  had  occupied  our  places  in  the  little  gallery 
from  seven  until  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon, 
and  were  glad  to  regain  the  open  air  and  street, 
apart  from  the  surging  crowd,  where  we  could 
reflect  more  calmly  upon  what  we  had  seen,  and 
realize  that,  if  we  were  not  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  cross  and  the  sepulchre  were  located, 
we  were  at  least  not  very  far  from  it.  In  this, 
as  in  other  instances,  we  found  more  satisfaction 
in  examining  the  general  topography  and  sur- 
roundings of  the  so-called  holy  place  than  in  the 
"  inventions  of  men  "  respecting  it. 

9 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


OLIVET     AND     BETHANY. 


Next  in  interest  to  Moriah  and  Zion,  we 
turn  toward  the  Mount  of  Olives.  One  morn- 
ing our  guide  appeared  again  with  the  horses 
before  the  Mediterranean  Hotel,  and  when  our 
little  party  were  mounted,  proceeded  through  the 
Jaffa  Gate,  down  the  vale  of  Hinnom,  on  the  way 
to  Olivet  and  Bethany.  Though  it  was  only  the 
5th  of  April,  the  rays  of  the  sun  fell  fiercely 
upon  us  in  this  valley,  where  the  perpetually- 
burning  fires  of  Gehenna  used  to  remind  the  Jews 
of  perdition.  Here  too  stood  Molech,  the  brazen 
idol  heated  within,  where  the  fanatical  among 
them  used  to  sacrifice  their  children.* 

At  En-rogel,  the  junction  of  the  two  valleys, 
we  paused  to  look  upon  the  place  where  Solomon 
once  had  his  magnificent  gardens,  a  spot  now  bar- 
ren and  unsightly.  A  number  of  lepers'  houses 
are  crouched  along  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of 
Offence,  while  just  above  on  the  Kedron  is  the 
poor  village  of  Siloam.  The  base  of  the  hills, 
and  the  bed  of  the  valley,  were  alike  destitute  of 

*  2  Kings  23  :  10. 
(130) 


OLIVET  AND  BETHANY.  131 

tree  or  verdure,  while  the  gray  rock  around  gave 
no  intimation  that  such  fertility  was  once  there, 
as  must  have  been  within  the  gardens  of  Solomon. 


Pool  of  Siloam. 


In  passing  up  the  bed  of  the  Kedron  we 
dismounted  at  the  pool  of  Siloam,  and  pen- 
etrating the  dark  interior  beneath  the  broken 
arch  obtained  a  cup-full  of  the  tepid  water,  of 
which  every  tourist  loyally  partook,  but  with 
many  a  grimace  of  countenance  and  shrug  of  the 
shoulder,  for  the  wash-women  had  given  the 
water  a  strong  flavor  of  soap-suds  that  day. 
From  "  cool  Siloam's  shady  rill,"  as  the  poet  ex- 
presses it,  we  passed  on  below  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  temple  wall,  and  on  the  other  side 


132 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


of  the  Kedron  dismounted  again  to  visit  the 
tombs  of  Zacharias,  St.  James,  Absalom  and  Je- 
hoshaphat.'^     We  found  nothing  very  remarkable 


Absalom's  Tomb.    {From  Original  Photographs.    BonfiU.) 

*  The  tomb,  or  as  it  is  usually  called  the  pyramid  of  Zacharias, 
was  erected,  according  to  tradition,  in  memory  of  the  Zacharias 
of  Matt.  23  :  35  ;  2  Chron.  24  :  20.  The  pyramid  resembles 
"Absalom's  Pillar,"  only  it  is  not  as  high,  being  about  29  feet. 
The  to7nb  or  grotto  of  St.  James  consists  of  several  small  under- 
ground chambers,  cut  out  of  the  rock.  The  entrance  is  through 
a  long  narrow  passage.  Tradition  says  that  St.  James  the  Great 
was  concealed  here  after  the  crucifixion  of  Christ,  and  ate  no 
food  until  the  resurrection,  and  that  St.  James  was  buried  here, 
though  another  tradition  says  his  sepulchre  is  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  The  tomb  or  pillar  of  Absalom  stands  in  a  heap  of  rub- 
bish, and  is  about  47  feet  high.    It  is  called  Absalom's  Pillar  from 


(134) 


OLl VE T  AaVD  be THA NY.  135 

about  these  tombs ;  but  noticed  that  one  of  them 
was  cut  out  of  the  native  rock,  and  we  also 
noticed  that  on  both  sides  of  the  valley,  wher- 
ever there  was  room,  tombs  and  graves  had  been 
located.  When  passing  away  we  noticed  a  group 
of  boys  and  young  men,  evidently  of  Jewish 
extraction,  in  the  act  of  throwing  stones  against 
the  tomb  of  Absalom,  thus  evincing  their  hatred 
and  contempt  for  his  character  as  of  old. 

The  garden  of  Gethsemane  was  next  visited, 
situated  on  the  slope  of  Olivet,  near  the  Kedron 
and  opposite  St.  Stephen's  Gate.  The  garden  at 
present  is  enclosed  with  a  high  wall,  the  entrance 
to  which  is  by  a  low  doorway  on  the  east  side, 
so  constructed  that  the  visitor  must  stoop  very 
low  in  order  to  enter  it.  This,  we  thought,  a 
very  remarkable  and  yet  fitting  expedient  to 
teach  all  comers  to  that  sacred  spot  the  lesson  of 
humility  and  reverence.  The  priests  of  the  Latin 
Church,  who  have  the  garden  in  charge,  have 
laid  out  the  ground  into  neatly-kept  parterres  of 
flowers,  to  which  the  ancient  olive  and  cypress 
trees  in  the  centre  add  dignity  and  grace.  The 
attendants   showed  us  polite  attention,  and  upon 

its  supposed  identity  with  that  mentioned  in  2  Sam.  18  :  18. 
But  there  is  no  mention  of  it  before  a.d.  353,  and  the  present  is 
a  comparatively  modern  structure,  probably  of  the  Greco- 
Roman  period. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


136  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

our  departure  presented  each  one  of  us  with  a 
choice  bouquet  of  cut  flowers.* 

From  Gethsemane  we  followed  the  main  road 
towards  Bethany  and  the  Jordan,  and  as  we 
turned  the  curve  around  the  southern  shoulder  of 
Olivet,  where  the  level  stratum  of  limestone  rock 
forms  the  road-bed,  we  paused  and  reflected  that 
Christ  surely  was  near  this  spot  when  he  wept 
over  Jerusalem. t  At  this  point,  in  his  approach 
from  Bethany,  the  view  of  the  temple  and  the 
city  would  suddenly  burst  upon  his  sight. 

In  continuing  this  route  to  Bethany,  we  found 
that  a  ravine  on  this  side  of  Olivet  caused  a 
sharp  curve  of  the  road  northward  to  a  suitable 
crossing-place,  after  which  the  way  ran  southward 
again  so  far  that  we  could  see  the  southern  por- 
tion of  Zion,  but  could  not  see  the  temple  mount. 
At  the  extremity  of  this  second  spur  of  Olivet 
our  guide  pointed  out  several  tombs  or  vaults,  to 
which  there  were  graded  steps  for  descent,  and 
said  that  this  was  the  site  of  Bethphage,  but  of 
this  assertion  gave  us  no  certain  proof. 

Shortly  after  we  reached  Bethany,  and  found 
it  a  small  group  of  poor  dwellings  situated  near 

*  For  detailed  description  of  size  of  garden,  the  walls,  the 
olive  trees  and  objects  of  interest,  see  Schaff's  Dictionary  of  the 
Bible,  p.  332. 

t  Luke  1.9.:^. 


OLIVET  AND  DEFIIANY.  137 

the  base  of  one  of  the  long  low  ridges  on  the 
eastern  side  of  Olivet.  Here  are  about  twenty 
families  without  thrift  or  industry.     The  ruin  of 


iJliTilA.NV.     {Aj'tcr  I'htjloyraphx.) 

an  old  dwelling,  built  of  coarse  masonry,  is  named 
the  house  of  Martha  and  Mary,  while  at  another 
place  is  shown  the  tomb  of  Lazarus.*  Here 
again  we  fell  in  with  a  large  company  of  pilgrims 
belonging  to  the  Greek  Church,  who  were  per- 
forming their  usual  shrine  worship.  In  our  turn 
we  descended  to  the  bottom  of  the  "  sepulchre," 

*  The  tomb  of  Lazarus  has  been  shown  in  Bethany  since  the 
fourth  century,  when  a  church  stood  over  it.  The  tomb  is  now 
shown  northeast  of  the  "  castle  of  Lazarus,"  in  a  vault  reached 
by  twenty-six  steps.  It  is  probably  the  site  of  a  subterranean 
chapel  of  early  date.  The  tomb  was  formerly  shown  in  the 
ijhurch  above. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


138  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

which  we  found  to  be  a  straight  shaft  sunk  per- 
pendicularly to  the  depth  of  twenty-five  feet, 
having  a  spiral  stone  staircase  within,  upon  which 
the  pilgrims  were  ascending  and  descending, 
while  panting  for  breath  on  account  of  the  ex- 
cessive heat  of  the  place.  At  the  bottom  wo 
noticed  only  a  tiny  altar  with  the  usual  tinsel 
upon  it,  before  which  the  pilgrims  bowed  and 
prayed  and  then  hastily  departed. 

The  name  "  Bethany,"  as  is  well  known,  sig- 
nifies the  House  of  Dates ;  but  we  saw  only  a 
few  almond  and  fig  trees  in  the  gardens,  and 
could  not  find  a  single  palm  tree  remaining  to 
confirm  the  ancient  title  of  the  village.  It  is 
now  called  El-  Azariyeh,  in  allusion  to  the  death 
and  resurrection  of  Lazarus.  The  identity  of 
the  place  is  generally  conceded,  and  its  distance 
from  Jerusalem,  just  two  miles,  and  its  relation 
to  the  Mount  of  Olives,  fully  confirm  this  view. 
Here  indeed  is  Bethany,  but  how  changed  since 
the  days  when  Jesus  tarried  here  at  the  welcome 
home  of  the  sisters  of  Lazarus  ! 

"  And  this  is  Bethany  ;  and  here  abode 
The  favored  family  whom  Jesus  loved  ; 
To  whose  warm,  humble  welcome  'twas  his  wont, 
Tracking  the  path  that  now  I  passed  along, 
Oft  to  retire  from  foes  and  wavering  friends." 

We  now  resumed  the  saddle  again,  and  climbed 


OLIVET  AND  BETHANY.  139 

the  eastern  slope,  to  the  Church  of  the  Ascen- 
sion, on  the  top  of  Olivet.  From  this  point  we 
obtained  a  fine  view  of  the  entire  city,  of  Scopus 
and  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  on  the  north,  and 
of  Bethlehem,  the  Frank  Mountain  and  the  hills 
of  Judea  on  the  south,  and  of  the  Jordan  Valley 
and  the  Dead  Sea  on  the  east.  The  sun  was  now 
near  his  setting,  and  his  departing  rays  shed  a 
soft  radiance  over  the  landscape,  and  as  we  stood 
there,  near  the  place  where  "  Jesus  lifted  up  his 
hands  and  blessed  his  disciples,  and  was  parted 
from  them  and  carried  into  heaven,"  we  could  not 
help  thinking  that  the  scene  is  worthy  of  even 
that  great  event.* 

Standing  here  on  the  day  of  his  ascension,  with 
one  glance  of  his  eye  Jesus  could  see  the 
place  of  his  human  birth  and  death.  Bethlehem 
and  Calvary  are  both  in  sight,  and  Zion  and 
Moriah,  the  home  of  the  ancient  prophets,  priests 
and  kings,  the  temples  and  palaces  of  the  holy 
city,  all  were  there  just  before  him,  as  if  ready 
to  lay  their  final,  crowning  tribute  at  his  feet. 
While  contemplating  the  earthly  settings  of  this 
grand  and  solemn  event,  the  words  recorded  by 
the  beloved  physician  came  up  to  our  recollec- 
tions :  "•  Why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven  ? 
This  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into 

*  Acts  1  :  9. 


140  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have 
seen  him  go  into  heaven."* 

We  prepared  to  descend  the  western  slope  of 
Olivet  by  the  path  which  runs  furthest  north- 
ward, now  well  worn  by  the  water-courses,  and 
the  passage  of  the  pilgrims  of  the  centuries,  since 
the  days  when  Jesus  passed  this  way,  and  hast- 
ened past  Gethsemane  to  our  shelter  for  the 
night.  As  we  passed  into  the  gate  of  St. 
Stephen  the  full  moon  arose  upon  the  summit  of 
Olivet,  and  reminded  us  that  this  was  indeed  the 
anniversary  week  of  the  Saviour's  passion,  death, 
and  glorious  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

One  evening,  during  the  same  week,  we  were 
invited  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the  Passover 
in  one  of  the  Jewish  dwellings  on  Mount  Zion. 
The  gentleman  who  acted  as  our  escort  was  an 
acquaintance  of  the  family,  and  had  obtained  per- 
mission previously  for  our  visit.  We  set  out 
from  David's  Street,  near  the  bazaar,  our  friend 
preceding  us  with  his  lantern — there  are  no  street 
lights  in  Jerusalem — and  penetrated  that  curious 
labyrinth  of  lanes  and  courts  known  as  the  Jew- 
ish Quarter.  Our  route  was  both  angular  and 
circuitous,  sometimes  leading  up  by  steps  from 
one  plane  to  a  higher,  and  anon  descending  by 
Another  flight  to  a  lower  level.     The  houses  on 

*  Acts  1  :  11. 


OLIVET  AND  BETHANY.  141 

either  side  were  lighted  up  in  honor  of  the  feast, 
and  the  farther  we  went  the  greater  evidence  of 
festivity  appeared.  At  last  our  escort  stopped 
before  a  door  at  the  left,  and  holding  the  lantern 
in  one  hand  rapped  upon  the  panels  with  the 
other.  While  thus  waiting  for  a  response  we 
could  not  help  thinking  of  Hunt's  celebrated 
painting  of  a  figure  of  our  Saviour  standing  thus, 
lantern  in  hand,  before  the  door  of  a  vine-clad 
cottage,  with  the  title  engraved  beneath,  "  Be- 
hold, I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock."* 

In  response  to  the  summons  of  our  conductor 
the  door  was  opened,  and  we  were  cordially  re- 
ceived by  the  inmates,  who  were  now  prepared 
to  begin  the  feast.  Along  one  side  of  the  large 
family-room  a  row  of  seats  had  been  extempo- 
rized for  our  accommodation,  while  on  the  other 
side  the  members  of  the  household  were  about 
seating  themselves  at  the  little  table,  upon  which 
were  a  dish  of  green  herbs,  a  shoulder  of  roast 
lamb,  some  eighteen  loaves  of  unleavened  bread 
and  a  decanter  of  wine. 

The  ceremony  began  in  an  informal  way,  each 
member  of  the  family  first  washing  the  hands, 
and  then  taking  a  sip  of  the  wine.  A  bright  lad, 
of  some  ten  years,  then  read  from  a  Hebrew  serv- 
ice-book as    to   the  nature  of  the  feast.     After 

*  Revelation  3  :  20. 


142  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

this  a  bag  containing  a  loaf  of  the  unleavened 
bread  was  held  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  dift'erent 
participants  in  turn,  and  bitter  herbs  were  dipped 
in  a  kind  of  sauce,  and  then  passed  to  us  visitors 
that  we  might  taste  of  the  mixture.  As  it  would 
be  discourteous  to  refuse,  we  did  partake,  under 
a  severe  mental  protest,  however,  and  afterward 
this  protest  was  strengthened  by  a  recollection  of 
the  nauseous  taste,  and  the  woody  fibre  of  the 
plants  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  dish.  After 
this,  another  section  of  the  service  was  read  de- 
scribing the  plagues  of  Egypt,  the  mere  mention 
of  which  tainted  the  unleavened  bread  to  such  an 
extent  that  a  little  wine  was  poured  into  a  dish 
with  water,  and  set  out  of  doors  for  purification. 

After  this  came  a  season  of  pleasant  inter- 
course, in  which  the  old  grandmother,  and  even 
the  little  babe  in  its  mother's  arms,  united  with 
great  glee ;  the  wine  was  passed  around  (not  to 
visitors),  the  unleavened  bread  broken,  and  an- 
other long  section  of  the  Exodus  read. 

As  the  hour  was  late,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no 
near  prospects  of  closing  the  feast,  our  party  with 
many  an  obeisance  and  hearty  salaam  took  leave, 
and  returned  by  the  same  conduct,  and  lantern, 
safely  to  the  Mediterranean  Hotel. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TOUR     TO     MIZPEH     AND     GIBEON. 

Our  party  was  favored  in  haAing  horses  in 
readiness  whenever  we  wished  to  make  excur- 
sions to  the  environs  of  Jerusalem,  otherwise  a 
great  deal  of  time  would  have  been  consumed 
and  much  fatigue  experienced.  In  going  out  to 
the  tombs  of  the  Judges,  and  Nehy  Samwil,  we 
again  took  to  the  saddle.  The  morning  was 
bright  and  clear,  and  the  air  bracing.  Again  we 
went  out  of  the  Jaffa  Gate  through  an  extempo- 
rized market,  which  some  peasants  had  organized 
on  the  bank  of  the  Hinnom. 

On  the  skirts  of  this  quondam  market  we 
noted  several  lepers  from  the  lazar-houses  near 
En  Rogel,  blear-eyed,  scorbutic  and  muffled  up  in 
rags,  clamoring  and  wailing  for  backshish.  Be- 
yond this  we  passed  along  the  row  of  shops, 
where  mementos  of  olive  wood  are  manufactured 
and  sold  by  the  German  colonists,  who  have 
quite  a  large  suburb  here  without  the  city  walls, 
and  are  engaged  in  this  trade  for  subsistence. 

Continuing  in  a  northwesterly  direction  we 
soon  came  to  the  tombs  of  the  Judges.     These 

(143) 


144 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


are  located  in  the  face  of  a  cliff  with  exposure  to 
the  north,  being  about  two  miles  from  the  city. 
The  range  of  hills  from  these  tombs  eastward  is 


Tomb  of  the  Judges.    {Prom  Photograph  by  Good.) 

named  Scopus,  from  which  a  fine  view  of  Jerusa- 
lem may  be  obtained,  and  where  many  armies 
have  been  encamped,  during  sieges  or  attacks,  in 
the  many  wars  which  have  been  waged  around 
the  holy  city.  The  tombs  are  simply  a  cavern 
cut  into  the  soft  rock,  separated  into  different 
rooms,  the  walls  of  which  are  prepared  with 
fifty-nine  receptacles  for  the  dead.  These  crypts 
are  entirely  vacant,  and  the  doors  leading  from 
one  room  to  another  are  open.  It  is  said  that 
this  is  the  most  remarkable  of  the  catacombs 
around  Jerusalem,  since  the  crypts  are  arranged 
in  three  stories,  the  upper  stories  with  ledges  in 
front  to  give  convenient  access,  and  to  support  the 
stones  that  close  them ;  the  whole  so  essentially 
Jewish  that  it  might  be  of  any  age,  if  it  were  not 


TOUR  TO  MIZPEH  AND  GIB  EON.  145 

for  its  distance  from  the  town,  and  its  architectural 
character.  By  the  fine  pediment,  wrought  out  on 
the  face  of  the  cliff,  many  writers  pronounce  the 
tomb  a  piece  of  Greek  architecture  rather  than 
Jewish.* 

Beyond  this  point  we  found  that  the  ground 
sloped  westward  toward  the  vale  of  Hanina.  The 
whole  surface  was  covered  with  loose  stones,  with 
apparently  little  attempt  at  cultivation.  As  we 
proceeded,  the  lofty  peak  of  Nebi/  Samwil,  our 
immediate  point  of  destination,  became  more  and 
more  distinct,  and  at  last,  after  a  toilsome  ascent 

*  The  tombs  of  the  Judges  have  been  known  to  the  Jews 
since  the  Middle  Ages  as  the  tombs  of  the  Sanhedrin.  The 
internal  arrangements  are  peculiar.  There  are  seven  kokim  at 
ground  level  on  the  north  wall  of  the  first  chamber,  and  over 
these  are  arcosolia,  each  with  two  kokim  at  the  back.  There 
are  two  inner  chambers  on  the  east  at  different  levels,  contain- 
ing kokim  in  two  tiers ;  on  the  south  a  chamber  with  kokim  and 
arcosolia  above  them,  this  chamber  being  also  at  a  different  level. 
Over  the  outward  door  is  a  richly  rock-cut  Grecian  pediment  of 
debased  style.  Within  the  vestibule  a  very  richly-executed 
doorway  leads  into  the  main  room,  containing  thirteen  loculi  in 
two  tiers  as  above  stated.  Another  door  opens  from  this  main 
room  to  a  second  room  on  the  same  story  having  nine  repositories 
or  loculi.  In  the  northeast  corner  of  the  main  room  is  a  stair- 
way leading  down  to  a  room  beneath,  the  last  mentioned  and 
containing  ten  or  twelve  loculi,  and  in  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  main  room  is  a  stairway  leading  down  into  an  unfinished 
apartment.  There  are  sixty  loculi,  while  the  Sanhedrin  had  sev- 
enty-three members.  See  Survey  of  Palestine,  vol.  Jerusalem,  p. 
407,  and  City  of  the  Great  King,  p.  186 — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 
10 


146  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

of  its  rugged  sides,  we  reached  the  miserable 
hamlet  perched  upon  its  summit. 

As  we  halted  at  the  edge  of  the  town  all  the 
children  came  rushing  upon  us,  calling  out, 
"  Backshish  !  backshish  !"  and  actually  fighting 
with  each  other  for  the  privilege  of  holding  our 
horses.  As  there  were  a  great  many  more  chil- 
dren than  horses,  the  strife  among  them  was  very 
vigorous,  in  some  cases  resulting  in  blows,  the 
girls  apparently  having  the  best  of  it. 

After  this  w^arm  reception  we  walked  to  the 
old  tower,  or  mosque,  named  "  the  tomb  of  Sam- 
uel." It  is  at  present  in  a  ruinous  condition,  and 
we  had  no  difficulty  in  entering  it  and  ascending 
its  flat  roof  and  minaret,  from  which  an  extensive 
view  is  had  of  the  surrounding  country.  The 
buildins:  was  once  a  Latin  church,  Dr.  Robinson 
thinks,  built  upon  older  foundations  in  the  form 
of  a  Latin  cross,  and  probably  dates  from  the 
time  of  the  Crusades.* 

Of  the  beauty  and   extent  of  the  view  from 

*  The  tradition  -which  points  to  Neby  Samwil  as  the  birth- 
place, residence,  and  burial-place  of  the  prophet  Samuel  is 
without  proper  foundation.  The  church  which  now  covers  the 
reputed  tomb  was  finished  in  1157  a.d.  Numerous  Hebrew  in- 
scriptions are  written  on  the  plaster  of  the  walls,  but  they  are 
quite  modern.  This  site  was  recognized  as  the  tomb  of  Samuel 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  but  had  been  declared  to  be  a  false 
site  by  Benjamin  of  Tudela  in  the  twelfth  century. — Ed.  Am. 
S.  S.  Union. 


TOUR  TO  MlZl'FAf  AND  GIDEON.  147 

this  place  Dean  Stanley  says  :  "  Of  all  points  of 
interest  about  Jerusalem  none  perhaps  gains  so 
much  from  an  actual  visit  to  Palestine,  as  the 
lofty  peaked  eminence  which  fills  up  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  table-land,  seen  in  every  direc- 
tion, the  highest  elevation  in  the  whole  country 
south  of  Hermon,  commanding  a  view  far  wider 
than  that  of  Olivet,  inasmuch  as  it  includes  the 
western  plain  and  Mediterranean  Sea  on  one  side, 
as  well  as  Olivet  and  Jerusalem  in  the  distance, 
backed  by  the  range  of  Moab."  The  old  Crusad- 
ers came  this  way,  by  the  pass  of  Beth-horon,  as 
they  went  up  to  capture  the  Holy  Sepulchre  and 
city.  "  It  is  a  very  fair  and  delicious  place,"  says 
Mandeville,  "and  it  is  called  Mount  Joy,  because 
it  gives  joy  to  pilgrims'  hearts ;  for  from  that 
place  men  first  see  Jerusalem."  Richard  Coeur 
de  Lion  probably  stood  on  Neht/  Scmiwil  as  he 
first  beheld  Jerusalem ;  when  "  he  buried  his  face 
in  his  armor  with  the  noble  exclamation,  'Ah! 
Lord  God,  I  pray  that  I  may  never  see  the  holy 
city,  if  so  be  that  I  may  not  rescue  it  from  the 
hands  of  thine  enemies!'" 

Not  the  least  interesting  object  in  sight  of  the 
observer  on  Neh(/  Samwil  is  the  broad  mound  near 
its  base,  on  which  is  situated  the  little  group  of 
houses  known  as  el  Jih.  This  is  the  ancient 
Gibeon,  without   doubt,  which   figures   so  prom- 


148  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

inently  in  the  historical  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. And  if  so,  then  this  Neht/  Samwil  is  surely 
ancient  Mizpeh,*  watch-tower,  and  it  is  also  the 
"  high  place  "  to  which  Samuel  was  about  to  re- 
pair from  Gibeon  when  Saul  appeared  before  him, 
and  was  by  him  anointed  as  future  king  of 
Israel. f 

As  we  had  many  places  to  visit  that  day,  we 
did  not  linger  upon  the  windy  tower  any  longer 
than  was  needful  to  take  in  the  wide  prospect, 
and  then  we  went  in  search  of  the  horses  in  order 
to  depart  to  Gibeon.  We  found  these  patient 
animals  in  charge  of  the  victors,  who  were  holding 
them  by  the  bridle  reins ;  but  those  who  had 
been  worsted  in  the  fight  were  determined  to 
have  their  share  of  the  backshish,  and  so  they 
seized  upon  the  stirrups,  the  manes,  and  even  the 
tails  of  the  horses.  Under  such  circumstances 
our  departure  was  somewhat  embarrassing;  but 
scattering  the  little  coins  behind  us  we  rushed 
through  the  throng,  and,  amid  yells  and  angry 
gestures,  went  on  toward  Gibeon. 

A  half  hour's  ride  brought  us  to  the  peculiar- 

*  Nehy  Samwil  was  regarded  by  the  Crusaders  as  the  site  of 
ancient  Shiloh.  In  later  times  it  was  supposed  to  be  the  site  of 
Ramathaim  Zophim.  Robinson,  Porter,  and  others  regard  it  as 
the  site  of  Mizpeh,  which  Conder  treats  as  merely  a  conjecture. — 
Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 

t  1  Samuel  9:  19;  10:1. 


(150) 


rOUH  TO  MIZPEII  AND  GIDEON.  151 

shaped  hill  on  which  ancient  Gibeon  was  situated, 
and  where  the  little  village  el  Jib  now  stands  as 
its  successor.'''  In  descending  the  steep  side  of 
Nebi/  Samwil,  we  had  the  rounded  summit  of  Gib- 
eon  constantly  before  us,  and  could  note  the  hor- 
izontal terraces  which  girt  it  about  on  the  south, 
and  the  pleasant  pasture  lands  which  lie  along  its 
slopes. 

Passing  over  a  part  of  the  great  mound  we 
came  to  the  miserable  village  perched  against  the 
hillside,  with  dwellings  built  of  stone,  set  down 
without  any  regard  to  order  or  convenience.  The 
inhabitants  were  squalid  and  wretched-looking 
people,  and  seemed  to  rival  their  neighbors  on 
Mizpeh  in  their  utter  disregard  of  cleanliness, 
and  in  their  eagerness  for  the  ever-expected 
backshish.  The  usual  number  of  dogs  made  their 
onset  upon  us  as  we  approached,  and  by  their 
loud  barking  warned  the  other  inhabitants,  who 

*  The  peasantry  say  that  the  ancient  site  of  Gibeon  stood  on 
the  southern  or  higher  part  of  this  hill.  The  hill  is  about  200 
feet  high,  naturally  a  strong  site,  well  supplied  with  water  and 
covered  with  vines  and  olives.  Eight  springs  issue  from  the 
sides  of  the  hill.  The  most  famous  of  these  springs  issues  in  a 
rock-cut  chamber  about  30  feet  long,  7  feet  wide,  and  7  feet 
high.  The  water  is  clear  and  abundant.  Close  to  this  spring  is 
a  rock-cut  chamber  finished  in  rough  masonry,  which  is  regarded 
as  sacred,  and  above  the  spring  cave  is  a  paved  platform  for 
prayer.  The  spring  is  one  of  the  most  sacred  and  venerated  in 
Palestine. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


152  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

came  to  the  doorways  to  gaze  at  us,  and  demand 
a  present.  Just  below  the  village  we  found  a  fine 
spring  of  water,  which  issues  from  a  rocky  cavern 
and  collects  in  a  large  pond  near  by.  Not  far  from 
this  point,  we  rode  over  a  fallen  stone  fence  into 
an  olive  orchard,  where  our  guide  hastened  to 
prepare  the  luncheon,  while  the  other  attendants 
brought  water  from  the  spring. 

Ancient  towns  were  commonly  located  upon  a 
hill  near  a  spring  or  other  water  supply,  so  as  to 
secure  the  inhabitants  against  enemies,  and  fur- 
nish them  with  water  in  case  of  a  siege.  Gibeon 
furnishes  both  these  requirements,  and  conse- 
quently w^as  the  site  of  a  Canaanitish  town  before 
the  conquest  under  Joshua.  The  fear  of  this 
great  conqueror,  whose  victories  at  Jericho  and 
Ai  had  been  told  throughout  the  land,  led  the 
Gibeonites  to  adopt  the  expedient  of  wearing  old 
clothes  and  carrying  mouldy  bread  when  they 
appeared  before  him,  in  order  that  they  might 
deceive  him  with  the  pretext  that  they  were  from 
a  "far  country,"  and  so  make  a  league  with  him.* 
Their  penalty,  to  be  "hewers  of  wood  and  drawers 
of  water,"  they  could  readily  fulfill,  for  both  wood 
and  water  must  always  have  been  abundant  in 
Gibeon.  The  place  will  ever  be  famous  also  in 
connection   with  Joshua's  battle  with  "the  five 

*  Joshua  9. 


TOUR  TO  MIZPEH  AND  GIB  EON.  153 

kings,"  when  he  commanded  the  sun  to  stand 
still  upon  Gibeon  and  the  moon  in  the  valley  of 
Ajalon.* 

Gibeon  was  the  scene  of  the  magnificent  cere- 
monial with  which  Solomon  inaugurated  his  reign, 
when  he  offered  the  thousand  burnt  offerings  here.f 
The  sacrifice  of  a  thousand  victims  was  an  act  of 
royal  magnificence  suited  to  the  greatness  of  Sol- 
omon, and  scarcely  outdone  by  Xerxes,  who 
offered  a  thousand  oxen  at  Troy,  as  Herodotus 
relates.  Here  also  Solomon  had  his  famous 
dream,  and  offered  his  model  prayer  that  he 
might  have  wisdom  as  a  ruler.  We  found  a 
mound  of  burnt  clay  on  the  top  of  Gibeon,  it  may 
be  at  Solomon's  altar,  unless  indeed  he  sacrificed 
upon  Nehi/  Samwil. 

Upon  our  return  from  a  ramble  over  Gibeon  we 
set  out  again  for  Jerusalem.  Our  route  now  lay 
to  the  eastward,  along  the  old  road  which  came 
up  from  the  plain  of  Sharon  by  Wady  Suleiman, 
and  intersected  the  Damascus  road  near  "  Gibeah 
of  Saul."  As  usual  we  found  only  a  bridle  path, 
instead  of  a  highway,  where  our  horses  had  to 
select  a  safe  place  for  their  feet  among  the  loose 
stones  which  had  fallen  in  the  track. 

We  only  paused  to  note  the  location  of  "  Gibeah 
of  Saul "  in  passing,  and  to  notice  the  site  of  an- 

*  Joshua  10  :  12.  f  1  Kings  3  :  4. 


154  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

cient  Nob,  -which  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  Gibeah, 
as  el  Jib  is  related  to  Neby  Samwil.  As  we  passed 
Nob  the  tragic  scene  in  the  life  of  David,  when  as 
a  fugitive  from  the  court  of  Saul  he  came  here,  and 
in  his  extremity  of  hunger  ate  of  the  "  shew 
bread "  with  his  men,  came  up  afresh  to  our 
minds.* 

We  were  now  on  the  great  Damascus  road  and 
proceeding  southward  toward  Jerusalem.  An- 
cient Anathoth  lay  on  the  height  of  ground  to  the 
eastward,  and  was  in  plain  sight  from  the  ridge 
of  Scopus,  which  we  had  now  reached  again. 
Here  and  there  fields  of  growing  wheat  were 
seen,  and  at  intervals  orchards  of  olive  and 
almond  trees  grew  by  the  wayside. 

When  we  were  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
city  we  dismounted  to  view  the  tombs  of  the 
Kings.f     Like  the  tombs  of  the  Judges  they  were 

*  1  Samuel  21  :  6. 

f  The  so-called  tombs  of  the  Kings  are  known  to  the  natives 
as  Kahur  es  Salatan  or  "tombs  of  the  Sultan.'"  Modern  Jews 
call  them  the  tomb  of  Kalba  Shebuya,  a  mythical  rich  man. 
Robinson  identified  them  as  the  tomb  of  Helena.  Three  pyra- 
mids were  visible  east  of  the  north  road  in  the  fourth  century, 
and  noticed  by  Eusebius.  The  rolling  stone  at  the  door  described 
by  Pausanias  in  the  second  century  is  still  there.  De  Saulcy 
found  a  sarcophagus  in  this  tomb  with  an  Aramaic  inscription 
roughly  cut  and  approaching  square  Hebrew  in  form.  He  read 
in  the  first  line  "Queen  Sara,"  which  it  has  been  conjectured 
was  the  native  name  of  Queen   Helena,  and  the  body  found 


TOUR   TO  MIZPEH  A XI)  GIDEON.  155 

originally  excavated  in  the  face  of  a  cliff,  but  in 
this  instance  the  earth  and  stone  apparently  had 
been  removed,  in  order  to  expose  the  face  of  the 
rock  sufficiently  for  the  purpose  designed. 

That  these  tombs  were  as  elaborate  as  they 
were  extensive,  and  were  fitted  up  in  royal  style, 
is  evident  from  the  remains  of  fine  sculpture 
still  traceable  upon  the  face  of  the  cliff.  Over 
the  centre  of  the  portal  are  carved  large  clusters 
of  grapes  between  garlands  of  flowers,  intermin- 
gled with  Corinthian  capitals  and  other  decora- 
tions, below  which  is  tracery-work  of  flowers  and 
fruits  extending  quite  across  the  portal  and  hang- 
ing down  along  the  sides.  This  is  said  to  be  the 
finest  specimen  of  sculpture  existing  in  or  around 
Jerusalem. 

With  lamps  in  hand,  furnished  by  our  provi- 
dent guide,  we  stooped  down  and  entered  the  low 
doorway,  and  found  ourselves  in  an  ante-chamber 
18i  by  19  feet  in  its  dimensions.  At  the  south 
side  of  this  chamber  we  found  the  entrances  to 
two  other  rooms,  which  we  explored  successively 
and  noted  the  crypts  arranged  along  their  sides. 
These  rooms  were  about  12  feet  square,  and  in 

along  with  the  sarcophagus  may  also  have  been  her  own.  A 
number  of  Roman  coins  were  also  found,  all  earlier  than  the 
time  of  Titus,  and  a  sculptured  head  of  Hadrian  was  found 
near  the  tombs. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


156  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

every  part  gave  evidence  of  their  originally  elegant 
construction.  We  next  entered  a  third  room, 
nearly  13  feet  square,  finer  than  any  that  we  had 
seen,  having  three  crypts  on  each  of  three  sides. 
Beyond  this  was  a  fourth  room,  in  size  nearly 
equal  to  the  others,  with  like  receptacles  for  the 
dead.  Fragments  of  marble  lay  about,  indicating 
the  fact  that  the  interior  had  been  originally  lined 
with  this  costly  material.  Over  each  crypt  was 
a  small  triangular  excavation,  in  which  a  lamp 
could  be  conveniently  placed  during  the  process 
of  entombment. 

As  to  the  antiquity  of  these  tombs  we  have  no 
certain  data.  Tradition  affirms  that  they  were 
constructed  for  the  kings  of  Judah,  but  Josephus 
intimates  that  they  were  built  by  Helena  of  Adi- 
abene  in  connection  with  the  family  of  the  Herods. 
In  either  case  they  have  come  down  from  a  re- 
mote antiquity,  and,  as  their  appearance  indicates, 
were  intended  as  the  resting-places  for  the  mem- 
bers of  a  royal  household. 

As  we  emerged  into  the  light  of  day  our  atten- 
tion was  directed  to  the  apparatus  used  in  closing 
the  cavern.  This  was  a  most  curiously-fitted 
stone  door,  which  could  only  be  opened  by  means 
of  a  lever  moving  it  along  a  grooved  passage,  and 
was  secured  in  its  place  by  another  slab,  also  set 
in  a  groove,  placed  at  right  angles  to  the  door  j 


TOUR  TO  MtZPEH  AND  GIBBON. 


157 


the  whole  arrangement  was  carefully  concealed  by 
a  huge  flagstone.  The  stone  door  was  in  size 
and  shape  not  unlike  a  large  grindstone,  with  the 
orifice  for  the  lever  in  the  centre,  and  the  groove 
so  prepared  that  this  stone  could  be  rolled  along 


/ 


#%, 


Rolling  Stone  before  Tomb. 

it  upon  its  circumference.  We  were  forcibly  re- 
minded of  the  question  of  the  devoted  women  who 
came  early  to  the  tomb  of  Jesus,  and  said,  "  Who 
shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre  ?  And  when  they  looked,  they  saw  that 
the  stone  was  rolled  away  :  for  it  was  very  great."  * 
Was  not  the  tomb  of  the  rich  man,  Joseph,  fur- 
nished with  this  kind  of  a  groove  with  a  circular 
stone  to  fit  it,  thus  to  be  rolled  in  front  of  the 
entrance  and  sealed  when  the  tomb  was  to  be 
closed,  and  to  be  rolled  away  again  when  the 
sepulchre  was  to  be  opened  ? 

While  meditating  upon  this  matter  we  resumed 

*  Mark  16  :  3,  4. 


158  TEXT  A  M)  SADDL  E  L  JFE. 

the  saddle  uiid  rode  forward  to  Jeremiah's 
Grotto,  which  Hes  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
the  Damascus  Gate.  It  is  a  huge  natural  cavern, 
nearly  round,  some  forty  paces  in  diameter,  and 
perhaps  thirty  feet  high  in  the  middle.  The  roof 
of  this  cavern  was  anciently  connected  with  the 
hill  named  Bezetha,  now  within  the  city  walls, 
and  its  wide,  yawning  front  has  heen  formed  by 
the  cutting  of  a  wide  avenue  between  it  and  the 
north  wall  of  the  city.  Some  locate  the  site  of 
Calvary  near  this  grotto.  An  old  Mohammedan 
has  charge  of  this  curiosity,  and  has  his  dwelling 
and  a  garden  in  front  of  the  cavern,  with  a  fence 
surrounding  it ;  this  arrangement  enables  him  to 
collect  an  extortionate  fee  for  entrance. 

Close  by  this  place,  and  at  a  point  near  the 
Damascus  Gate,  we  were  admitted  by  a  low  door- 
way, almost  concealed  by  a  bank  of  earth,  into  a 
much  larger  cavern  known  as  Solomon's  Quarries. 
The  low,  square  door  is  directly  under  the  city 
wall,  and  is  only  opened  by  the  initiated  for  the 
gratification  of  persevering  tourists.  After  we 
had  passed  through  the  door  we  were  compelled 
to  crawl  upon  hands  and  knees  for  quite  a  dis- 
tance, when  we  found  ourselves  on  the  edge  of  a 
vast  incline  dipping  under  the  hill  Bezetha.  Our 
lamps  having  been  lighted  we  stood  upright,  and 
by  their  flickering  light  began  to  peer  out  into 


TOUR   TO  MIZPEH  AND  GIBEON.  159 

the  vast  abyss  before  us.  Our  guide  led  the  way 
down  the  slope,  and  we  followed  full  of  wonder. 
We  were  in  an  immense  cave,  not  unlike  Jere- 
miah's Grotto  in  appearance  but  vastly  larger  in 
dimensions.  We  went  on  and  on,  apparently  in 
a  southeasterly  direction,  our  lights  failing  to  re- 
veal either  side  of  the  cavern  to  our  sight,  and 
scarcely  sufficing  to  indicate  the  great  altitude  of 
the  ceiling.  At  last  we  came  to  a  kind  of  drip- 
ping spring,  beyond  which  our  guide  positively 
refused  to  advance,  protesting  that  he  would  not 
be  responsible  for  any  injury  which  might  befall 
us  if  we  persisted  in  our  attempt  to  reach  the 
limits  of  these  vast  excavations.  Leaving  him  to 
listen  to  the  gloomy  "  drip,  drip  "  of  the  falling 
water,  we  proceeded,  penetrating  into  lower  and 
yet  lower  levels,  until  we  came  to  an  abrupt 
ascent,  along  the  rugged  edges  of  which  we 
clambered,  peering  into  the  crevices  until  satisfied 
that  we  had  now  arrived  at  the  southern  extrem- 
ity of  this  truly  wonderful  place.  The  quarry 
marks  were  more  abundant  here,  the  yellow, 
chalky  limestone  having  been  worked  out  in 
rough  blocks,  some  of  which  had  never  been 
removed  from  the  quarry. 

Above  us,  we  knew,  were  the  houses  and 
streets  of  the  city,  but  we  had  no  means  of 
locating  our  position  on  the  surface ;  yet  we  felt 


IfiO  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

sure  that  we  were  near  the  Via  Dolorosa.  Is  it 
not  probable  that  the  materials  for  the  ancient 
temple  were  actually  quarried  here  from  the  roof 
and  sides  of  a  natural  cavern,  and  raised  by  a 
shaft  to  the  surface  of  the  temple  enclosure? 
We  made  our  way  back  again  to  our  guide,  who 
seemed  to  rejoice  that  we  had  escaped  unharmed, 
and  gaining  the  entrance  once  more  we  returned 
to  our  lodgings  weary  with  the  fatiguing  labors 
of  the  day,  but  gratified  nevertheless  with  all 
its  experiences. 

A  few  moments  of  leisure  enabled  us  to  visit 
the  Jaffa  Gate  to  inspect  the  "Needle's  Eye," 
which  we  found  to  be  a  small  door  hung  upon 
hinges  in  one  of  the  great  gates,  to  admit  foot 
passengers  after  the  hour  of  closing.  It  would 
be  difficult  indeed  for  a  camel  to  pass  through 
this  aperture,  though  not  impossible.  The  Scrip- 
ture reference  was  well  elucidated  by  the  actual 
sight.* 


Needle's  Eye. 
*  Matthew  19  :  24. 


CHAPTER  X. 

TOUR  TO  THE  DEAD  SEA  AND  THE  JORDAN. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  when  we  were  to 
leave  Jerusalem,  for  the  long  tour  northward,  by 
the  way  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  Jordan.  Glad- 
ly w^ould  we  have  remained  longer  to  verify  our 
first  impressions  of  all  the  interesting  places  in 
and  around  the  holy  city ;  but  the  guides  had  the 
preparations  completed  and  the  itinerary  arranged. 

On  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  April  8,  we  were 
early  astir,  and  eagerly  observing  the  incidents 
of  street  life,  and  the  locations  of  greatest  inter- 
est, that  we  might  retain  a  more  vivid  recollection 
of  all  the  places  we  had  already  visited.  While 
standing  thus  expectant  on  the  balcony  of  the 
hotel  overlooking  David's  Street,  we  w^ere  grat- 
ified with  the  sight  of  a  primitive  procession, 
composed  of  country  people,  on  their  way  to  the 
Mosque  of  Omar.  The  company  was  composed 
of  about  fifty  persons,  all  poorly  clad,  but  with 
some  gaudy-colored  sashes  and  turbans  sprinkled 
among  them,  with  the  intent  of  presenting  a  festive 
or  military  appearance.  They  had  several  dingy 
banners  in  sight,  and  all  made  a  ludicrous  attempt 

11  (161) 


1G2  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

at  keeping  step  on  the  rough,  slippery  pavement 
to  the  music  of  the  cymbal  and  tom-tom. 

We  were  interested  most  of  all  in  the  figure  of 
a  young  man,  who  led  the  straggling  procession 
and  performed  the  office  of  dancer  as  well  as  he 
was  able  on  such  precarious  footing.     He  was  a 
strange-looking  youth,  perhaps  twenty  years  of 
age,  of  tall  and  spare  figure,  with  long  yellow 
hair  streaming  out  from  under  his  high  turban, 
and  a  wild,  wandering  look  in  his    eyes.     His 
countenance   was  grave,  and   his   shuffling  step, 
emphasized  from  time  to  time  by  the  stroke  of 
his    tall   spear-handle  upon  the  pavement,  indi- 
cated that  he  was  engaged  in  a  religious  solem- 
nity.    We  were  at  once  reminded  of  the  dancing 
of  King  David  when  he  brought  the  ark  to  Zion. 
Not  unlike  this  young  man  must  he  have   ap- 
peared   when,    girded    with    a   linen    ephod,    he 
danced  before  the  Lord  with  all  his  might,  and, 
in  reply  to  the  taunt  of  the  proud  Michal,  said, 
"  It  was  before  the  Lord,   which   chose  me  .  .  . 
ruler  .  .  .  over  Israel;  therefore  will  I  play  be- 
fore the  Lord.     And  I  will  yet  be  more  vile  than 
thus,  and  will  be  base  in  mine  own  sight."*    How 
little   change,   we   thought,  has    three    thousand 
years  wrought  in  the  customs  of  this  city  of  the 
great  king ! 

*  2  Samuel  6  :  14-22. 


TOVli  TO  THE  DEAD  SEA  AND  THE  JORDAN.       163 

Many  final  tasks  had  to  be  performed  upon  our 
departure  from  Jerusalem.  Trinkets  of  olive 
wood,  photographs,  and  a  few  necessaries  of  cloth- 
ing had  to  be  laid  in.  We  went  to  bid  adieu  to 
our  obliging  consul.  Colonel  Wilson,  and  deposit 
with  him  our  letters  for  home.  Then  we  repaired 
to  the  group  of  horses  drawn  up  near  the  tower 
of  David,  and  made  choice  of  the  animals  we 
were  to  ride,  each  one  fully  convinced  that  he 
had  been  allotted  the  most  undesirable  steed — a 
conviction  which  was  daily  strengthened  as  we 
advanced  on  our  journey.  The  sun  was  well  up 
over  the  Mount  of  Olives  when  our  party,  now 
enlarged  by  the  addition  of  three  English  clergy- 
men and  two  Americans,  swept  past  the  Damas- 
cus Gate,  crossed  the  Kedron  once  more,  and  fell 
into  the  main  road  to  Jericho.  At  the  angle  in 
the  road  where  Jesus  beheld  the  city  and  wept 
over  it  we  paused  again,  to  take  our  parting  view, 
and  bid  farewell  to  the  earthly  Jerusalem.  We 
were  soon  beyond  Bethany,  going  down  the  steep 
cliffs  toward  Jordan.  Our  route  now  lay  over 
precipices,  along  the  sides  of  which  rough  paths 
have  been  worn  by  the  feet  of  passing  animals. 
The  face  of  these  seamed  and  furrowed  masses 
of  dry,  yellow-colored  limestone  is  desolate 
enough  surely  to  satisfy  the  Abyssinian  monks 
who   have   haunted   these    caves  for  ages  past. 


104  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

The  whole  forenoon  was  occupied  in  scrambling 
down  from  one  terrace  and  cliff  to  another.  The 
sun  smote  the  yellow  surftice  with  a  blinding 
glare,  and  we  were  glad  to  secure  the  shade  of 
turbans  and  umbrellas,  while  we  held  on  to  the 
saddle-pommels  with  a  firm  grip  as  our  horses 
picked  their  way  through  the  ragged  notches  of 
the  rocks. 

The  ruins  of  an  old  khan  nearly  midway  in  the 
descent  are  supposed  to  mark  the  site  of  the  par- 
able of  the  good  Samaritan.  Even  to  this  day 
one  going  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  may 
fall  among  thieves.  There  is  no  law  or  order,  we 
are  told,  in  this  part  of  Palestine,  no  protection  to 
citizens  or  travellers  except  what  they  provide  for 
themselves.  The  natives  around  the  coasts  of  the 
Dead  Sea  consist  of  small  tribes,  generally  at 
war  with  each  other  and  waiting  for  convenient 
opportunities  for  plunder. 

Our  guides  had  taken  pains  to  secure  us  a  safe 
escort  in  the  persons  of  two  sheikhs,  who  make  a 
business  of  conducting  tourists  through  their  ter- 
ritory upon  the  payment  of  large  backshish. 
They  were  warlike  men,  of  swarthy  skin,  savage 
glance  and  sinister  expression.  Of  course  they 
were  our  friends  now,  on  account  of  the  dear 
backshish,  and  they  Avere  even  our  intimate 
brothers.    They  would  ride  familiarly  by  our  side, 


TOUR  TO  THE  DEAD  SEA  AND   THE  JORDAN.       165 

turn  the  bilious  pupils  of  their  wary  eyes  upon 
us,  and  playfully  handle  the  pistols,  swords, 
dirks,  lances,  long  guns,  etc.,  etc.,  with  which 
they  were  decorated. 

The  sheikhs  were  mounted  upon  splendid 
horses,  trained  to  the  saddle  and  obedient  to  the 
riders'  very  nod.  One  of  them  was  a  fiery,  coal- 
black  steed,  with  heavy,  flowing  mane  and  tail, 
his  bridle  decorated  with  scarlet  tassels  at  the 
ears,  and  long  leather  fringe  across  the  front  and 
at  the  throat-latch.  The  saddle  was  low  in  the 
pommel,  with  strong  girth  and  back-strap  and 
long  pendants  streaming  from  the  saddle-cloth  on 
either  side.  Thus  equipped  and  accoutred,  the 
sheikhs  would  occasionally  deploy  from  us,  and 
ride  proudly  on  in  advance  as  if  in  quest  of  foe- 
men  worthy  of  their  steel. 

Well  toward  midday  we  were  startled  at  the 
sight  of  an  armed  Arab  horseman,  coming  over 
the  crest  of  a  hill  at  full  gallop,  with  his  long 
lance  set  as  if  prepared  for  a  hostile  engagement. 
Our  sheikh  put  the  spurs  to  his  black  charger, 
and  dashed  off  to  meet  the  stranger.  The  two 
riders  continued  their  course  straight  as  an  arrow, 
with  unslackened  speed  until  within  a  few  yards 
of  meeting,  when  one  of  them  put  up  his  hand 
by  way  of  salute,  and  both  instantly  reined  in 
their  steeds  in  a  way  that  nearly  threw  them 


166  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

back  upon  their  haunches.  Then  followed  hand- 
shakings and  other  demonstrations  of  friendship 
as  their  horses  walked  quietly  onward  side  by 
side,  as  if  to  accommodate  their  riders  during 
conversation.  Presently  the  strnnger  set  spurs 
to  his  steed,  and  disappeared  down  the  slope  of 
the  Wady  Kelt.* 

We  were  now  approaching  a  cluster  of  low 
buildings  plastered  over  with  mud,  named  by  the 
Mohammedans  Nelf/  Musa,  that  is,  the  tomb  of 
Moses.f  Though  the  Bible  declares  that  Moses 
died  in  the  land  of  Moab,  and  was  mysteriously 
buried  in  a  valley  there,  and  no  man  knoweth  of 
his  sepulchre  unto  this  day,  yet  the  followers  of 

*  "  The  Wady  Kelt  is  a  deep  narrow  gorge,  flanked  by  precip- 
itous clifi's,  above  which  rise  white  chalk  hills,  presenting  a 
tangled  network  of  narrow  water-worn  torrent  beds,  with  knife- 
edged  ridges  between.  The  slopes  are  very  steep,  and  numerous 
conical  peaks  and  rounded  knolls  project  along  the  ridges." 
Where  the  wady  crosses  the  plain  of  the  Jordan,  it  becomes  a 
broad  water-course  covered  with  water-worn  boulders  and 
shingle,  running  between  banks  20  to  30  feet  high  and  150  to 
300  feet  apart.  The  Wady  Kelt  has  been  suggested  as  identical 
with  the  brook  Cherith,  where  Elijah  was  fed  by  ravens.  See 
Survey  of  Palestwe,  vol.  iii.  p.  168. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 

t  Neby  Musa  is  a  deserted  mosque,  with  a  short  minaret. 
There  is  a  cenotaph  shown  in  the  mosque  Jis  the  tomb  of  Moses. 
The  place  was  built  668  a.h.,  and  the  minaret  in  880  a. n. =1502 
A.D.  The  spot  is  visited  yearly  in  April  by  a  great  crowd  of 
Mohammedan  pilgrims,  accompanied  by  half-naked  fanatical 
dervishes,  who  parade  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  all  the  previous 
morning  shouting,  "  La  ilaha  ill  Allah  .'" — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union, 


TOUR  TO  THE  DEAD  SEA  AND  THE  JORDAN.       167 

the  false  prophet  h<ave  located  his  grave  here  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Jordan.*  We  had  seen 
many  of  the  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  the  festival 
now  in  progress  here,  both  on  the  road  from  He- 
bron and  also  in  coming  down  from  Bethany. 
Many  of  the  men  were  on  foot,  but  the  women 
and  children  were  seated  in  panniers  on  the  backs 
of  donkeys. 

Our  route  lay  a  little  southward  of  this  place, 
'now  filled  with  the  stir  and  bustle  of  constantly- 
arriving  pilgrims,  and  on  the  height  of  ground 
just  beyond  we  dismounted  for  luncheon.  We 
were  now  on  the  lowest  of  the  mountain  terraces 
overlooking  the  Dead  Sea.  The  surroundings 
were  dismal  in  the  extreme.  Not  a  tree,  shrub, 
or  scarcely  a  blade  of  grass  enlivened  the  pros- 
pect. Under  the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun,  we  sat 
down  upon  the  raw  earth  around  the  rug  and 
cloth  where  the  attendants  had  laid  out  the 
bread,  cold  meats,  eggs  and  oranges.  On  the  flat 
roof  of  the  one-story  mosque  opposite,  a  long  line 
of  men  were  performing  their  devotions,  with 
their  faces  turned  toward  Mecca.  They  went 
through  their  bowings,  kneelings  and  prostrations 
with  a  regularity  and  monotony  that  was  painful 
to  witness.  Just  then  the  sound  of  the  tom-tom 
was  heard,  a  gun  was  fired,  and  a  great  procession 

*  Deuteronomy  34  :  6. 


168  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

of  pilgrims,  with  banners  flying,  marched  into 
the  place,  and  were  received  with  much  ado  by 
those  who  had  arrived  before  them.  The  whole 
scene  was  in  keeping  with  the  barren  environs. 
The  strange  customs  of  nations  were  represented 
there  as  well  as  the  blight  of  nature. 

Within  an  hour  of  the  time  of  our  arrival  we 
were  again  in  the  saddle,  hastening  on  towards 
the  blue  expanse  of  waters  spread  out  at  our 
feet,  which  at  this  distance  did  not  appear  at  all 
like  a  sea  of  death,  but  rather  like  a  beautiful 
lake  in  some  northern  state  in  America.  Upon 
reaching  the  plain  of  the  Jordan  we  passed 
through  a  strip  of  dry  jungle,  and  emerged  upon 
a  shelving  beach,  composed  of  salt,  sand,  and 
some  sort  of  alkali,  where  there  was  not  a  sign 
of  indigenous  vegetation.  Wrecks  of  trees  lay 
strewn  upon  the  surface,  encrusted  in  salt,  their 
ragged  broken  limbs  presenting  an  appearance 
like  the  valley  of  dry  bones  in  Ezekiel's  vision. 
The  heat  was  not  as  intense  here  as  we  had 
anticipated.  A  breeze  from  the  southeast  had 
sprung  up,  and  brought  with  it  the  welcome 
shadow  of  a  passing  cloud,  and  thus  relieved  the 
usual  pressure  of  the  atmosphere.  Without  delay 
we  prepared  for  a  bath,  anxious  to  test  the  old 
theory  that  nothing  can  sink  beneath  these 
waters.     Mr.  H.^  to  whom  the  reader  has  been 


The  Salt  or  Dead  Sea.    (After  Sketch  by  Majw  Wilson.) 


(169) 


TOUR  TO   THE  DEAD  SEA  AND  THE  JORDAN.       171 

introduced  at  Ramleh,  declared  his  doubts  of  all 
these  declarations  of  the  ancients,  and  was  the 
first  to  plunge  into  the  waters  to  confirm  his 
stout  denial.  He  obtained  more  than  he  had 
bargained  for,  inasmuch  as  he  pushed  out  a  little 
too  far  from  shore,  and  the  heavy  surf  raised  by 
the  wind  quickly  submerged  him.  He  came  back 
to  terra  firma  gasping  and  weeping,  and  certainly 
the  tears  he  shed  that  day  were  very  salt  and 
bitter.  The  rest  of  the  party  fared  but  little 
better.  The  specific  gravity  and  levitating  power 
of  the  water  were  evidently  very  great,  but,  on 
account  of  the  heavy  waves  which  beat  upon  the 
body  like  sheets  of  lead,  we  could  get  no  fair 
opportunity  to  test  it.  Added  to  this  was  the 
discomfort  experienced  in  breathing.  The  water 
was  so  salt,  bitter  and  pungent  that  it  affected 
the  nostrils  to  such  a  degree  as  almost  to  produce 
strangulation,  while  the  smarting  of  the  eyes  and 
each  little  abrasion  of  the  skin  produced  not  only 
discomfort,  but  positive  suffering.  Notwithstand- 
ing all,  we  tried  the  experiment  of  floating,  and 
found  that  head  and  feet  could  scarcely  be  sub- 
merged, the  heavy  part  of  the  body  alone  set- 
tling under  the  surface,  yet  not  sufficiently  to 
necessitate  the  action  of  the  limbs  to  prevent 
sinking.  In  the  use  of  the  towel  after  the  bath 
we  found  the  body  covered  with  a  pitchy  sub- 


172  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

stance,  which  left  an  unpleasant  sensation  for  us 
after  dressing. 

After  this  novel  experience  we  mounted  again, 
and  hastened  across  the  plain  toward  the  Jordan. 
The  surface  was  generally  level,  with  here  and 
there  a  shallow  wady,  and  the  whole  was  without 
vegetation.  The  deep  sand  deposit  was  mingled 
with  salt,  gypsum,  sulphur  and  other  ingredients, 
and  hindered  the  progress  of  our  already  wearied 
horses.  At  four  o'clock  we  came  upon  the  steep 
terrace  which  borders  the  rushing  river  at  the 
usual  ford  and  bathing-place  of  the  pilgrims. 
Here  we  dismounted  and  proceeded  to  bathe,  as 
all  dutiful  pilgrims  have  done  for  ages  immemo- 
rial, and  were  the  more  eager  to  do  so  in  order 
to  wash  away  the  unpleasant  traces  of  our  late 
bath  in  the  Dead  Sea.  We  found  the  water  shal- 
low near  the  shore,  but  the  "shingle"  was  so 
sharp  that  we  could  hardly  stand  up  against  the 
rushing  flood.  The  fall  of  the  Jordan,  as  is  well 
known,  is  very  great ;  hence  its  name,  "  The  De- 
scender," and  hence  the  mystery  of  the  miracle 
by  which  the  Israelites  crossed  it  when  swollen 
by  the  spring  freshets. 

The  water  was  of  a  yellow,  muddy  color,  not, 
like  the  Dead  Sea,  of  a  beautiful  blue ;  but  it 
was  sweet  and  pure,  and  thus  a  fitting  emblem 
of  the  sacrament  of  Christian  baptism.     Upon 


I^jiiii 


(173) 


TOUR  TO  THE  DEAD  SEA  AND  THE  JORDAN.       175 

regaining  the  shore  and  our  garments  we  loitered 
upon  the  upper  bank  among  the  tamarisk,  agnus 
castus,  white  poplar  and  other  trees,  mingled 
with  which  was  a  heavy  growth  of  cane  and 
reeds.     Of  the  latter  I  cut  three  fine  specimens, 


Reeds.    (Schuff's  "  Popular  Commentary.") 

one  of  which  still  remains  in  my  collection,  a 
cherished  memorial.  It  is  about  twelve  feet  in 
length,  with  but  little  taper,  graceful  and  pliant, 
moved  by  each  breath  of  air,  with  a  soft  feathery 
plume  at  the  top  one  foot  in  length.  It  is,  with- 
out doubt,  the  "reed  shaken  by  the  wind"  to 
which  the  Saviour  alluded  when  discoursing  of 
John  the  Baptist.* 

In  these  waters,  perhaps  at  this  very  spot,  our 
Lord  was  baptized  of  John,  thus,  as  he  said, 
"fulfilling  aU  righteousness."     Crowds   of   anx- 

*  Matthew  11:7. 


176  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

ious  souls  then  thronged  these  banks,  coveting 
the  application  of  the  cleansing  water,  as  a  token 
that  their  sins  were  forgiven.  And  in  after  ages 
what  multitudes  have  come  hither  to  bathe  in 
these  sacred  waters  and  tarry  upon  these  shaded 
banks,  where  even  now  the  bulbul  and  the  thrush 
in  their  sweet  song  answer  back  to  the  murmur 
and  ceaseless  chatter  of  the  restless  current  rip- 
pling over  its  shingly  bed. 

The  breadth  of  the  river  is  not  great,  now,  at 
its  ordinary  height,  not  above  four  or  five  rods 
in  width ;  but  earlier  in  the  season,  when  the 
"swellings"  take  place,  and  Jordan  is  in  his 
strength,  what  a  mighty  flood  then  pours  down 
this  deep  gorge  to  the  sea  of  death !  Thus  it 
doubtless  was  when  the  Israelites  first  crossed  it, 
under  Joshua,  to  enter  the  "  promised  land." 
But  Jehovah,  who  brought  them  hither  from 
Egypt,  made  a  way  for  them  to  pass  over  in 
safety,  as  he  will. make  a  way  for  his  saints  to 
pass  over  the  Jordan  of  death  safe  into  the  true 
land  of  promise,  where  he  will  give  his  people 
rest  in  "  the  land  that  is  very  far  off."  Watts 
and  Stennett  have  associated  this  river  with 
thoughts  of  solemn  import  in  their  imperishable 
verses,  in  which  they  draw  a  beautiful  parallel 
between  the  Israelites,  waiting  on  yonder  shore, 
and  the  dying  Christian. 


rOUR  TO   THE  DEAD  SEA  AND   THE  JORDAN.       177 

"  On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand, 
And  cast  a  wishful  eye 
To  Canaan's  fair  and  happy  land, 
Where  my  possessions  lie. 

"  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood 
Stand  dressed  in  living  green  ; 
So  to  the  Jews  old  Canaan  stood, 
While  Jordan  rolled  between." 

Pleasant  as  it  was  to  linger  at  the  ford,  we 
were  presently  warned  by  our  guide  that  it  was 
time  for  us  to  resume  our  journey  toward  the 
camp.  Our  course  now  lay  almost  due  westward 
across  the  plain,  here  some  six  miles  in  width. 
We  were  now  on  the  track  of  the  ancient  Israel- 
ites as  they  marched  toward  Gilgal  and  Jericho. 
At  the  farther  side  of  the  plain,  and  directly  con- 
fronting us,  stood  the  great  landmark  of  the 
whole  region,  named  Mount  Quarantania.  This 
massive  wall  of  rock,  which  lifts  its  majestic 
front  twelve  hundred  feet  in  the  air,  with  its 
sides  gilded  by  the  rays  of  the  declining  sun, 
presented  a  truly  grand  appearance.  Its  name 
indicates  that  it  was  the  scene  of  the  Saviour's 
trial  when,  for  forty  days,  he  fasted  in  the  wilder- 
ness and  endured  the  temptation.  When  we  had 
crossed  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance  from  the 
river  to  the  mountain  we  came  to  a  poor  hamlet 
named  Eriha.  The  miserable  dwellings  of  the 
Ghawarineh  tribe,  to   which   our  valiant  sheikhs 

12 


i  i  »  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

belonged,  are  here  grouped  around  an  ancient 
castle,  below  which  were  a  few  unfenced  plots  of 
cultivated  ground  and  sonie  enclosures  of  fruit 
trees.  This  spot  is  supposed  to  mark  ancient 
Gilgal,*  the  first  place  consecrated  to  religious 
worship  by  the  Israelites  after  entering  the  prom- 
ised land.-{-  This  tribe  does  not  bear  a  very  good 
reputation,  and  the  inhabitants  whom  we  saw 
were  not  at  all  prepossessing  in  appearance,  and 
we  did  not  tarry  long  in  their  territory. 

From  this  point  onward  we  followed  the  course 
of  the   wady  Kelt,  whose   stream-bed   was    now 

*  Jericho  has  occupied  more  than  one,  and  perhaps  three 
diflferent  sites  at  different  periods  of  its  history.  Old  Jericho 
of  Joshua's  time  was  destroyed.  Its  site  is  generally  placed  at 
Tell  es  Si(Ua7i,  near  ^Ain  es  Sultan,  or  the  spring  of  the  Sultan, 
popularly  called  "  Elisha's  Fountain."  This  is  about  one  and 
a  half  miles  northwest  of  the  modern  hamlet  Eriha.  The 
Jericho  of  the  New  Testament  period,  and  which  Christ  visited, 
is  identified  by  the  Palestine  Survey  with  el  Aleik,  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Eriha,  and  the  same  distance  west  of 
south  of  "Elisha's  Fountain."  The  Jericho  of  the  crusading 
period  is  identified  with  Eriha,  a  miserable  mud  hamlet  sur- 
rounded by  a  thorny  briar  [Zizyphus  spina  Christi,  the  Christ- 
thorn).  Gilgal  of  the  Jordan  valley  was  located  by  Thomson 
and  others  near  the  modern  hamlet  Eriha,  but  the  Palestine 
Survey,  with  appai-ently  greater  precision,  identifies  it  with  a 
mound  or  ruin  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Eriha,  and  called 
Jiljulieh.  It  is  on  the  direct  road  from  HajlaJi  to  ''  Ain  es  Sultan, 
and  about  four  and  a  half  miles  from  the  Jordan, — Ed.  Am.  S. 
S.  Union. 

f  Joshua  5  :  10. 


(179) 


TOUR  TO   THE  DEAD  SEA  AND  THE  JORDAN.       181 

filled  with  clear  running  water,  along  the  margin 
of  which  we  found  a  luxuriant  growth  of  niibk 
trees  and  wild  shrubbery.  From  the  branches 
of  one  of  these  shrubs  we  obtained  a  number  of 
specimens  of  the  apples  of  Sodom,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  legend,  are  fair  as  to  outward  appear- 
ance, but  within  are  full  of  ashes.  The  fruit,  if 
such  it  may  be  called,  is  not  unlike  a  wild  plum 
in  appearance.  It  has  a  bright  yellow  skin,  at- 
tractive to  the  eye  indeed,  but  when  broken  open 
not  even  a  seed  or  a  grain  of  ashes  is  visible.  It 
is  an  apt  symbol  of  the  utter  emptiness  of  mere 
outward  pretension. 

Turning  northward  from  the  Kelt,  we  soon 
came  to  the  bank  of  another  purling  stream,  and 
at  its  source  found  our  tents  pitched,  beside  'Ain 
es  Sultan,  or  Elisha's  Fountain,  and  the  attend- 
ants waiting  to  receive  us.  We  were  now  under 
the  foot  of  Mount  Quarantania,  and  the  shadows 
of  its  mighty  presence  warned  us  of  approaching 
darkness.  After  we  had  partaken  of  our  evening 
meal  we  sat  in  the  tent  door,  listening  to  the  cheer- 
ful croaking  of  the  frogs  at  the  fountain,  and  look- 
ing for  the  familiar  stars  as  they  came  out  one  by 
one  with  their  welcome  light  to  cheer  us.  The 
adventures  of  the  day  were  rehearsed  with  zest, 
the  mules  and  horses  meanwhile  munching  the 
barley  and  beans  from  their  nose-bags,  while  the 


182  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

sound  of  the  gurgling  waters  near  by  invited  to 
slumber.  A  little  later,  as  we  were  reclining 
upon  our  couches  within  the  tent,  preparatory  to 
retiring  for  the  night,  one  of  our  company  sud- 
denly started  up,  with  the  exclamation  that  he 
saw  the  figure  of  a  man  crouched  in  the  doorway 
as  if  about  to  effect  a  stealthy  entrance.  Soon 
after  a  gun  was  discharged  in  the  camp,  which, 
we  found  upon  inquiry,  was  simply  a  device  of 
our  guide  to  warn  the  natives  that  we  were  on 
the  alert  for  any  prowlers  who  might  wish  to 
secure  plunder.  The  sheikhs  were  to  remain  on 
watch  all  night  around  the  camp-fire,  as  an  addi- 
tional warrant  of  security  that  our  slumbers 
might  not  be  disturbed  by  fears  of  a  midnight 
adventure.  But  the  stamping  of  the  horses,  the 
ringing  of  the  bells  on  the  necks  of  the  sumpter- 
mules,  and  the  howling  of  the  jackals  on  Quaran- 
tania  left  us  little  time  for  sound  sleeping. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FROM    JERICHO    TO    THE    VALLEY   OF    BACA. 

Our  first  night  in  camp  at  'Ain  es  Sultan,  while 
not  particularly  restful  to  us  after  the  most 
fatiguing  day  of  our  journey  to  the  Dead  Sea  and 


'AiN  ES  Sultan,  or  Fountain  of  Elisha.    (After  Photographs.) 

the  Jordan,  was  nevertheless  a  valuable  experi- 
ence. The  situation  of  the  camp  was  altogether 
favorable  to  lovers  of  the  beautiful  in  nature,  and 
of  the  free  life  in  tent  and  saddle.  With  these 
surroundings  even  the  most  staid  townsman  would 
be  tempted  to  extol  the  life  of  the  wandering 
gypsies.  At  this  place  Canon  Tristram  spent 
many  days  in  camp  in   1864,  while  making  his 

(183) 


184  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

valuable  observations  in  ornithology  and  geology, 
and  investigating  the  physical  features  of  the 
plain  of  the  Jordan.  His  descriptions  give  us  the 
idea  that  he  had  something  like  a  hunter's  camp 
here  at  'Ain  es  Sultan,  and  that  the  poor  chats, 
sun-birds,  doves  and  swallows  suffered  more  from 
the  discharge  of  firearms  than  did  the  wolves  and 
jackals  of  the  mountains,  or  the  leopards  and  wild 
boars,  which  had  been  driven  from  their  lairs  by 
the  winter  freshets  of  the  Jordan. 

However  this  may  have  been,  the  camping- 
ground  at  'Ain  es  Sultan  is  truly  a  delightful 
place.  The  natural  features  of  mountains  for 
protection  from  bleak  winds,  vegetation  and  fresh 
flowing  water  for  refreshment,  and  the  wide, 
fertile  plain,  the  river  beyond,  the  sea  below  and 
the  distant  wall  of  Moab  in  the  background  for 
scenery,  altogether  make  up  a  delightful  land- 
scape. 

Just  as  the  gray  light  of  morning  began  to 
spread  over  the  distant  fields  of  Moab  I  arose, 
and,  hastily  making  my  toilet,  with  field-glass 
and  note-book  in  hand  sallied  forth  to  make  ob- 
servations. Hard  by  the  tents  I  came  upon  the 
fountain  which  is  the  source  of  life  and  fertility 
to  such  a  large  district  of  the  plain  below.  To 
dash  the  hands  and  face  into  the  sweet  and  copi- 
ous current  was  indeed  refreshing.     This  is  sup- 


FROM  JERICHO   TO   THE   VALLEY  OF  BACA.         185 

posed  to  be  the  fountain  which  Elisha  purified 
with  salt,  the  waters  of  which  were  thereby 
healed  that  there  should  not  be  from  thence  any- 
more death  or  barren  land.'''  From  the  fact  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Jericho  said  to  Elisha,  "  The 
situation  of  this  city  is  pleasant,  but  the  water  is 
naught"  (i.  e.,  "bad"  or  brackish),  in  response  to 
which  he  performed  the  miracle,  it  appears  that 
the  city  was  situated  near  by  the  fountain,  or  on 
the  stream  below  it.  The  spring  would  also 
naturally  be  within  the  enclosure  of  the  walled 
town  which  Joshua  overthrew,  for  the  inhabitants 
would  not  be  apt  to  leave  the  source  of  water 
supply  without  the  walls,  where  the  besiegers 
might  easily  cut  it  off.  Besides  'Ain  es  Sultan  is 
so  situated  that  Joshua  might  have  marched 
round  its  adjacent  city,  just  as  the  narrative  of 
the  Bible  describes,  for  the  foot  of  Quarantania 
is  nearly  half  a  mile  distant  toward  the  west. 

Upon  leaving  the  fountain  I  climbed  to  the  top 
of  a  large  mound  or  hummock  only  a  few  rods 
distant,  under  which  may  lie  the  ruins  of  ancient 
Jericho.  From  this  point  a  wide  prospect  was 
opened  to  view.  Eriha,  with  its  ancient  tower, 
appeared  to  stand  in  a  line  with  the  north  end 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  about  one-third  of  the  way 
distant.     The  only  traces  of  the  Jordan  visible 

*  3  Kings  2  :  21. 


186  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

were  the  trees  on  its  banks,  beyond  which  in 
plain  sight  lay  the  uplands  of  Perea  or  Gilead. 
The  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea  were  also  in  sight, 
and  a  kind  of  purple  mist  hung  over  its  eastern 
side,  under  the  long,  high  wall  or  cliff  of  Moab. 
The  notch  at  the  mouth  of  the  Zerka  Main  wady, 
in  which  the  hot  springs  of  Callirrh6e  are  situated, 
was  plainly  visible.  The  waters  of  the  sea  were 
sky  blue  in  color,  and  appeared  to  be  entirely 
tranquil,  as  there  was  no  breeze.  What  a  mystery 
surrounds  this  wonderful  sheet  of  water  !  "  Re- 
posing in  its  deep  chasm  or  caldron,  without  any 
current  or  outlet,  its  heavy  waters  impregnated 
with  mineral  salts,  combined  with  asphaltum  and 
sulphur,  acrid  and  nauseous  to  the  taste,  and 
fatal  to  animal  and  vegetable  life ;  no  fin  stirring 
in  its  still  depths,  and  no  flowers  or  foliage  fring- 
ing its  borders ;  its  shores  and  surrounding  terri- 
tory sterile,  desolate  and  dreary;  the  whole 
region  lonely  and  stern,  and  bearing  marks  of 
some  dread  convulsion  of  nature ;  the  cemetery 
of  cities  that  once  occupied  a  portion  of  its  site, 
and  a  perpetual  memorial  of  the  righteous  judg- 
ments of  God."*  The  whole  western  shore, 
though  without  forest  land,  is  described  in  the 
New  Testament  as  the  wilderness  of  Judea. 
Here  and  there,  where  fresh-water  streams  empty 

*  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary. 


FROM  JERICHO  TO  THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA.         187 

into  the  sea,  shrubbery  and  vegetation  appear,  as 
at  ^Ain  Feshkha,  but  generally  the  aspect  is  utter- 
ly desolate.  Its  surface  is  twelve  hundred  and 
ninety-two  feet  below  the  Mediterranean  or  ocean 
level,  and  its  deepest  bottom  is  about  thirteen 
hundred  feet  below  its  surface.  It  is  forty  miles 
in  length,  and  from  nine  to  ten  miles  in  width, 
and  no  open  chasm  of  equal  depression  is  known 
to  exist  elsewhere  on  the  globe.  All  its  waters 
are  carried  off  by  evaporation  under  the  sun's 
rays,  which  at  this  extraordinary  depth  exert  an 
influence  like  an  immense  fire  on  the  surface  of  a 
great  caldron."^ 

*  The  depression  of  the  Dead  Sea  below  the  level  of  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea  varies  from  2  to  3  feet,  being  greater  at  some 
periods  of  the  year  than  at  others  ;  and  Robinson  holds  that  it 
has  varied  from  10  to  15  feet  within  the  last  fifty  years.  Rus- 
segger  in  1838  by  barometer  computed  the  depression  to  be 
about  1400  feet;  Symonds  in  1840  by  trigonometrical  survey 
made  it  1312  feet;  Dale  of  Lynch's  Expedition  in  1848  calcu- 
lated that  it  was  1316  feet;  more  careful  measurements  by  Due 
de  Luynes  and  Lieut.  Vignes  of  the  French  navy  in  1864  made 
it  1286  feet;  and  a  still  more  scientific  survey  by  English  engi- 
neers under  Capt.  Wilson  in  March,  1865,  found  it  to  be  1292 
feet,  but  computed  that  it  was  2^  feet  higher  owing  to  winter 
freshets  than  at  other  periods  of  the  year,  hence  the  least  de- 
pression would  be  1289^  feet.  The  greatest  depth  of  the  Dead 
Sea  is  in  the  northern  portion,  which  Lieut.  Symonds  (1841) 
measured  at  1350  feet;  but  Lieut.  Dale  of  Lynch's  Expedition 
(1848)  found  it  to  be  1308  feet,  and  a  later  measurement  agrees 
very  nearly,  making  it  1310  feet.  Its  mean  depth  according  to 
Lynch  is  1080  i&Qi.—Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


188 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


The  location  of  the  cities  of  the  plain,  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah,  is  still  an  unsettled  question. 
Some   authorities  favor  the  hypothesis  that  the 


The  Dkau  Sea   from  Jebel  Usdum  (Mountain  of  Salt)  :   South  End. 
(After  Tristram.) 

cities  of  the  plain  were  at  the  north  end  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  and  not  far  from  Jericho.  But  Dr. 
Robinson  inclines  to  the  more  ancient  theory  that 
they  were  located  at  the  south  end  of  the  sea, 
and  that  "the  plain"  is  now  in  j^art  occupied  by 
the  southern  bay,  below  the  peninsula  el  Lisan.^ 
Canon  Tristram,  when  at  Wady  Mahawat  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  sea,  found  large  masses 
of  bitumen  mingled  with  gravel,  overlying  a  thin 

*  Researches,  vol.  ii.  p.  G04. 


FROM  JERICUO  TO  THE   VALLEY  OF  BACA.         189 

stratum  of  sand,  so  strongly  impregnated  with 
sulphur  that  it  yielded  powerful  fumes  on  being 
sprinkled  over  a  hot  coal.  He  says,  "If  there  be 
any  physical  evidence  left  of  the  catastrophe 
which  destroyed  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  we  have 
it  here.  The  whole  appearance  points  to  a  shower 
of  hot  sulphur  and  an  irruption  of  bitumen  upon 
it,  which  would  naturally  be  calcined  and  impreg- 
nated by  fumes."  And  yet  the  Canon  seems 
afterward  to  favor  the  northern  hypothesis.* 

While  I  was  sitting  upon  the  mound  at  'Ain 
es  Sultan  the  sun  sprang  up  over  Moab,  and 
flooded  the  summit  of  Mount  Quarantania  with 
his  golden  light,  and  the  cooing  of  doves  and  the 
matins  of  the  spring  birds  about  its  foot  drew  my 
attention  to  its  majestic  surface.  Far  up  its  front 
I  could  see  the  caverns  where  the  monks  long  ago 
lived  and  died  in  the  practice  of  their  strict  ascet- 
icism.    Some    of  these    caverns   are  said  to  be 

*  In  his  later  work,  The  Land  of  Moab,  he  ■writes :  "  It  seems 
evident,  on  a  careful  examination  of  the  scriptural  account  of 
'  the  cities  of  the  plain,'  that  they  must  have  been  situated  in 
the  'ciccar '  or  '  ghor'  of  Jordan,  at  the  north  end  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  There  is  no  reason,  from  the  details  given  us  in  Scripture, 
for  assigning  to  the  cities  of  the  plain  a  location  on  the  west, 
rather  than  the  east,  side  of  that  river  ;  and  as  the  plain  of  Shittim 
is  much  more  extensive  than  that  of  Jericho,  and  the  Jordan 
possesses  three  fords,  passable,  except  during  the  season  of  the 
floods,  in  its  lower  reach,  it  is  probable  that  some,  at  least,  of  the 
four  cities  were  on  the  farther  side."     Pages  331-334. 


190  TENT  A  ND  SA  D  DL  K  L  IFF. 

formed  into  chapels,  with  chambers  above  them 
where  the  anchorets  of  the  fourth  century  lived, 
and  back  of  which  their  tombs  are  now  to  be  seen, 
having  their  bones,  covered  with  dust,  within 
them.  On  the  very  summit  of  the  mountain  the 
remains  of  a  ruined  chapel  were  plainly  visible, 
and  on  either  side  of  it  were  the  wadys  Kelt  and 
*Am  Dtd%  the  former  a  deep  gulch,  in  the  recesses 
of  which  is  the  traditional  spot  where  Elijah  was 
fed  by  the  ravens. 


On  the  banks  of  the  stream  which  issues  from 
this  gorge  and  flows  past  Eriha,  but  at  a  higher 
point,  el  Aleik,  it  is  supposed  the  Jericho  built 
by   Herod   the    Great    was    situated.      Graphic 


FROM  JERICHO  TO  THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA.         191 

descriptions  remain  of  the  baths,  the  circus,  the 
groves  of  palm  and  fruit  trees  which  then  covered 
this  whole  region.  The  palms  have  long  since 
disappeared,  because  uncultivated  or  unprotected ; 
but  the  warmth  of  temperature  here  is  like  that 
of  Egypt,  and  the  palms  and  all  tropical  fruits 
might  again  flourish  with  proper  cultivation. 
Our  Saviour  passed  through  Jericho  when  he 
healed  the  blind  men,  and  when  he  called  Zaccheus 
down  from  the  branches  of  the  sycamore.  One  or 
two  specimens  of  this  tree,  the  fig  sycamore,  still 
remain  in  the  jungle  at  the  mouth  of  the  gorge, 
as  if  to  attest  the  certainty  of  the  location.* 

After  an  early  breakfast  the  tents  were  struck, 
and  we  were  once  more  in  the  saddle  pursuing 
our  way  along  the  brook  formed  by  'Ain  DuJc, 
whose  banks  were  fringed  with  a  luxuriant  growth 
of  cane  and  shrubbery.  While  thus  riding  for- 
ward in  Indian  file  along  the  crooked  trail,  the 
sound  of  music  in  the  distance  fell  upon  our  ears. 
After  many  vain  conjectures  as  to  its  origin,  we 
at  last  caught  sight  of  a  group  of  five  or  six 
native  girls  approaching  who  were  marching  to  a 

*  As  before  noted  in  chapter  x.,  Eriha  is  the  accepted  site  of 
the  Jericho  of  the  crusading  era,  while  el  Aleik  is  the  proposed 
site  of  the  Roman  or  New  Testament  Jericho.  It  is  one  and  a 
half  miles  above  Eriha.  The  Crusaders  built  a  third  Jericho  at 
Eriha  after  the  Roman  Jericho  of  Christ's  time  had  fallen  into 
decay. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


192  TENT  AM)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

tune  they  were  singing,  if  tune  it  might  be  called 
where  the  whole  performance  seemed  so  much 
like  screeching.  For  the  benefit  of  all  readers  of 
a  musical  turn  of  mind  the  score  of  their  song  is 
here  presented  :* 


As  we  proceeded  up  the  valley  of  'Ain  Duk  we 
were  reminded  that  we  were  now  on  the  line  of 
march  of  Joshua  with  the  host  of  Israel  when  he 
ascended  to  Ai  and  Bethel,  and  accomplished  his 
celebrated  victory  over  their  inhabitants/]*  Fol- 
lowing the  course  of  the  stream  through  the  wide 
fertile   valley,  where   vegetation  and    wild  fruit 

*  Canon  Tristram,  when  in  camp  at ''  Ain  es  Sultan,  had  a 
visit  from  the  women  of  Eriha,  which  he  describes  as  follows : 
"They  came  up  and  formed  in  front  of  the  tents  with  loud 
shouts  and  the  strange  'trill,  trill'  with  the  tongue  which  we 
had  often  heard  from  the  women  of  Algiers.  .  .  .  They  were  a 
miserable  and  degraded-looking  set,  scantily  clad  in  blue  cotton, 
all  very  filthy,  and,  excepting  two  or  three  of  the  younger  ones, 
most  repulsive  in  feature.  I  never  saw  such  vacant,  sensual 
and  debased  features  in  any  group  of  human  beings  of  the  type 
and  form  of  whites.  There  was  no  trace  of  mind  in  the  ex- 
pression of  any  one  of  these  poor  creatures,  who  scarcely  know 
they  have  a  soul,  and  have  not  an  idea  beyond  the  day."  .  .  . 
The  evening  previous  the  camp  men  also  gave  the  Canon  a 
'fantasia,'  with  a  series  of  deep  guttural  grunts  in  two-four 
time,  accompanied  with  a  clapping  of  the  hands.  ..."  An  ex- 
tempore song  of  endless  verses  in  praise  of  the  Howadjis,  con- 
fined within  three  semitones  "...  all  for  backshish. 

t  Joshua  8  :  3. 


FROM  JERICHO  TO  THE  VALLEY  OF  liACA.         193 

trees  appeared  on  either  hand,  we  came,  in  the 
course  of  two  hours,  to  the  foot  of  the  high  hills 
of  Ephraim.  At  this  point  the  valley  suddenly 
became  narrow,  having  steep  cliffs  on  either  side. 
Instead  of  continuing  our  route  into  this  gorge, 
our  guide  here  turned  to  the  south,  and  com- 
menced to  climb  the  side  of  the  mountain.  Here 
we  came  upon  the  traces  of  an  old  Roman  road, 
the  bed  of  which  had  originally  been  macad- 
amized with  excellent  slabs  of  limestone.  The 
road  climbed  the  great  elevation  by  zig-zags,  thus 
reducing  the  steepness  of  the  grade  by  increasing 
the  distance  to  be  traversed.  While  this  was  a 
tedious  ascent,  taxing  the  energy  of  both  men 
and  horses,  we  could  see  from  the  configuration 
of  the  surrounding  district  that  it  was  the  most 
available  route  for  a  wagon-road  or  thoroughfare 
between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho.  The  route  by 
Bethany  and  the  wady  Kelt  is  indeed  more  direct 
— only  fifteen  miles  in  distance — but  on  account 
of  the  intervening  ledges  and  cliffs  it  could  never 
have  been  anything  more  than  a  track  for  foot- 
men or  a  bridle-path.  Hence  the  construction 
of  this  highway,  and  the  zig-zags  for  ascend- 
ing to  the  summit.  Doubtless  Herod  the  Great 
frequently  passed  over  this  road  in  his  chariot, 
with  great  pomp  and  circumstance,  when  on  his 
way  to  and  from  his  winter  palace  at  Jericho. 

13 


1 94  TEN  T  A  ND  SA  DDL  E  L IFE. 

When  we  were  midway  in  the  ascent  we  saw  a 
gazelle  bounding  away  over  the  height  of  Quar- 
antania,  but  were  not  near  enough  for  our  guide 
to  obtain  the  shot  which  he  coveted.     The  road 
now  ran  westward  to  the  very  brink  of  the  gorge, 
at  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  thick  jungle.     At 
last,    after   turning   another   angle    to    the    east- 
ward, we  arrived  at  the  summit,  and  obtained  a 
grand  view  of  the  whole  Jordan  plain,  and  of  the 
entire   route   we  had  just  traversed.     The  view 
was  similar  to  that  obtained  from  the  mound  at 
'Ain  es  Sultan,  but  much  more  extensive.     The 
three    streams    supplied  from  'Ain  Duk,  'Ain  es 
Sultan  and  Wady   Kelt  could  be  traced  by  the 
growth  of  shrubbery   on  their  banks  across  the 
wide  plain,  with  the  broader  course  of  the  Jordan 
visible  by  its  fringe  of  trees  at  the  farther  side ; 
while  far,  far  away  appeared  the  hills  of  Gilead, 
cleft    by    the    Jabbok,    on    whose    banks    Jacob 
wrestled  all  night  with  the  mysterious  stranger.* 
Farther  to  the  south,  and  across  the  Dead  Sea, 
we  again  saw  the  mountains  of  Moab,  their  high 
cliffs  and  ragged  peaks  well  revealed  in  the  bright 
sunlight.     It  was  our  last  view  of  the  land  from 
which  Ruth  and  Naomi  came,  when  they  sought 
an  asylum  in  their  widowhood  at  Bethlehem. 
We  now   turned  westward  again,  and  kept  on 
*  Genesis  32  ;  24. 


FROM  JERICHO  TO  THE  VALLEY  OF  liACA.         195 

our  course  over  a  rough  bridle-path  not  far  from 
the  brink  of  the  gorge  already  described,  until 
.we  came  to  a  poor  hamlet  perched  upon  a  hill, 


Mountains  op  Moab. 

named  Deir  Diivan.  We  rode  past  the  place,  and 
halted  in  an  olive  orchard  near  by  for  luncheon. 
We  had  hardly  dismounted  before  we  were  sur- 
rounded by  the  swarthy,  sinister-looking  men 
who  inhabit  this  place.  When  the  guide  had 
prepared  the  food  on  the  cloth  spread  upon  the 
ground,  and  we  were  seated  on  its  border,  a  la 
Turk,  the  hungry-looking  men  drew  nearer  still, 
and  patiently  watched  every  mouthful  that  we 
ate,  hoping,  no  doubt,  that  some  portion   would 


196  TENT  AXD  SADDLE  LIFE. 

be  assigned  to  them,  but  in  this  they  were  disap- 
pointed. The  women  did  not  venture  away  from 
their  dirty  stone  dwellings,  having  been  forbidden, 
no  doubt,  by  these  "lords  of  creation,"  who  cov- 
eted the  first  opportunity  to  be  present  at  the 
feast  themselves.  When  the  cloth  and  provision 
had  been  removed  and  we  were  riding  out  of  the 
orchard  I  noticed  that  the  twenty-three  men  were 
gathered  round,  looking  mournfully  at  the  place 
where  we  had  been  seated,  after  which  they 
departed  to  their  village  in  sadness. 

We  were  now  at  the  head  waters  of  streams 
running  into  the  Jordan,  and  in  the  neighborhood 
of  ancient  Bethel.  We  found  here  ancient  ruins 
of  a  town  lying  on  the  slopes  of  two  hills  facing 
each  other,  between  which  was  a  reservoir,  with 
heavy  walls  of  masonry  well  preserved.  On  the 
hill  to  the  eastward  are  the  remains  of  a  fortified 
Christian  church,  which  was  probably  built  by 
the  early  Christians  to  consecrate  the  spot  where 
Abraham  built  his  second  altar  after  entering  the 
promised  land,  and  where  he  separated  from  Lot. 
The  latter,  attracted  by  the  apparent  fertility  of  the 
Jordan  valley  lying  beneath  him,  contrasted  with 
the  barrenness  of  the  stony  ravines  and  ridges  on 
the  westward,  chose  the  country  of  the  Jordan, 
and  journeyed  eastward  to  the  shores  of  the  Dead 
Sea.     Lieutenant  Anderson,  whose  ideas  on  the 


FROM  JERIOUO  TO  THE   VALLEY  OF  BACA.         197 

topography  of  this  vicinity  are  valuable,  thinks 
that  the  site  of  Ai  may  be  confidently  assigned 
to  a  ruined  hill-top  east  of  the  church  near  Deir 
Diwan,  called  by  the  Arabs  et  Tel,  "  the  heap." 
This  corresponds  exactly  to  the  description, 
when  we  know  the  site  of  Bethel  and  that  of 
Abraham's  encampment,  where  he  built  an  altar; 
for  we  read  that  he  pitched  his  camp  "  having 
Bethel  on  the  west  and  Hai  on  the  east."  There 
is  a  valley  behind  the  ruined  heap  where  Joshua 
placed  his  ambush.  There  is  also  a  spot  opposite, 
across  the  intervening  valley,  where  Joshua  stood 
to  give  the  preconcerted  signal ;  and  there  is  a 
plain  or  ridge  down  which  the  men  of  Ai  hurried 
in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  Israelites,  so  that  the 
men  in  ambush  rose  and  captured  the  city,  and 
made  it  a  heap  (or  a  "  tell ")  forever.*  In  coming 
up  to  Bethel  from  Deir  Diwan  we  had  the  crest 
of  this  high  ridge  on  our  right  hand  constantly 
in  sight,  from  the  summit  of  which  Abraham  and 
Lot  could  look  over  all  the  plain  of  Jordan  and 
the  rough  ridges  of  the  country  afterward  assigned 
to  Benjamin  and  Judah. 

At  Bethel  we  came  within  six  miles  of  the  point 
where  we  had  entered  the  Damascus  road  when 
on  our  way  from  Gibeon  to  Jerusalem.  The  in- 
tervening section  of  the  road  is  said  to  follow  the 

*  Joshua  8  :  28. 


198  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

line  of  the  water-shed,  and  on  both  sides  valleys 
take  their  rise,  and  become  at  once  rocky  ravines, 
descending  precipitously  on  the  left  hand  to  the 
Jordan,  and  on  the  right  hand  more  gradually  to 
the  Mediterranean.  The  traveller  over  these  six 
miles  of  the  land  of  Benjamin  finds  nothing  but 
rocks  and  stones  and  ruined  heaps  and  low  ridges 
of  hills,  without  a  prominent  peak  or  feature  to 
vary  the  scene ;  so  that  we  lost  but  little  by  not 
going  over  this  section. 

On  a  slight  elevation  just  to  the  north  of  the 
ruins  of  Bethel,  now  named  Beitim,  we  found  on 
either  side  of  the  highway  an  immense  number 
of  boulders  and  slabs  of  stratified  rock,  well  de- 
scribed by  Dean  Stanley.  The  track  winds 
through  an  uneven  surface  covered,  as  with  grave- 
stones, by  large  sheets  of  bare  rock,  some  few 
here  and  there  standing  up  like  the  cromlechs  of 
druidical  monuments.  Somewhere  here,  no  doubt, 
Jacob  came  as  an  exile  from  his  early  home  in 
Beersheba,  when  he  lighted  upon  a  certain  place 
and  tarried  there  all  night,  because  the  sun  was 
set ;  and  he  took  of  the  stones  and  put  them  for 
his  pillows,  and  lay  down  in  that  place  to  sleep.* 
The  wanderer's  dream  of  the  heavenly  ladder 
may  have  been  suggested  by  the  aspect  of  the 
hill  to  the  westward,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of 

*  Genesis  28  :  11. 


FROM  JERICHO  TO  THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA.         199 

a  little  valley,  ribbed,  as  it  is,  with  parallel  lay- 
ers of  rock,  which  give  it  the  appearance  of  a 
majestic    stone    staircase,  like    the    side    of   the 
Pyramid  of  Cheops,  to  one  resting  in  a  recumbent 
position.     Two  of  us  here  fell  behind  the  party, 
and  dismounting  from  our  horses  tested  the  mat- 
ter by  lying  down  upon  the  stony  surface  of  the 
ground,  only  to  find  our  impressions  favorable  to 
the  theory.     When  the  rays   of  the  setting  sun 
fell  upon  that  terraced  hillside  it  would  appear  not 
unlike  a  majestic  "  staircase,"  which  is  the  more 
accurate  word  for  the  Hebrew  "suUam."     What- 
ever may  have   been  the  outward  cause  of  the 
dream,  we  know  that  it  had  an  interior  meaning 
which  can  only  be  fulfilled  in  the  words,  "  Here- 
after ye  shall  see  heaven  open,  and  the  angels  of 
God  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Son  of 
man."*     Jacob  had  no  difficulty  here  in  finding  a 
stone   for  his   pillow ;   nor   was   it  strange  that, 
when  he  awoke,  he  took  the  stone  and  consecrated 
it  as  a  pillar,  and  said,  ''  How  dreadful  is   this 
place !  this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God 
(Beth-el),  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." f 

The  lateness  of  the  hour  compelled  us  to 
hasten  forward  after  the  party.  We  soon  came  to 
the  head  of  a  narrow  glen  opening  out  northward, 
which  we  entered  by  the  dry  stream  bed,  having 

*  John  1  :  51.  f  Genesis  28  :  16-18. 


200  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

high  stone  walls  on  either  side  enclosing  vine- 
yards. As  we  advanced,  the  hills  on  either  side 
became  high  and  precipitous,  the  vineyards  dis- 
appeared, and  we  found  ourselves  in  the  depths 
of  a  long,  gloomy  valley.  In  the  rocky  cliffs  on 
either  side  we  noticed  a  singular  conformation, 
consisting  of  long  tubular  galleries  occasioned  by 
erosion  of  water  in  past  geological  ages,  and 
which  run  parallel  with  the  bed  of  the  valley,  but 
at  a  great  height  above  it. 

We  continued  to  wind  our  way  through  this 
singular  recess,  which  has  been  described  as  a 
place  of  charming  melancholy.  The  valley  is 
narrow  and  gloomy ;  a  dark  water  oozes  from  the 
rocks,  pierced  with  sepulchres,  which  form  its 
walls.  It  may  be  that  this  is  Baca,  or  the  "  val- 
ley of  tears,"  or  of  the  "  dripping  waters,"  cele- 
brated as  one  of  the  stations  by  the  way,  when 
in  ancient  times  the  pious  pilgrims  went  up  to 
Jerusalem.*  We  encamped  in  that  valley  for  the 
night  at ' Ain  el  Haramiyeh,  or  Robber's  Fountain, 
and  slept  sweetly  after  the  long  ride  from  the 
Jordan  valley. 

*  Psalm  84. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM  BACA  TO  THE  VALE  OF  NABLUS. 

Our  encampment  at  'Ain  el  Ilaramit/eh,  or  Rob- 
ber's Fountain,  was  in  a  picturesque  location.  On 
either  side  of  the  narrow  valley  were  high  hills, 
fortified  by  "  the  munitions  of  rocks,"  in  the  clefts 
of  which  we  saw  the  traces  of  wild  honeysuckle 
and  maiden's-hair  fern.  Far  up  the  heights  we 
heard  the  partridges  clucking  to  their  chickens  as 
the  night  drew  on.  On  the  west  side  of  the  glen 
was  a  patch  of  green  sward,  where  our  five  tents 
were  pitched,  and  near  by  the  thirty  animals,  which 
transported  our  persons  and  effects  from  place  to 
place,  were  tethered.  The  brook,  with  its  volume 
of  water  largely  increased  by  the  spring  rains, 
ran  just  in  front  of  our  location,  into  which  our 
copious  fountain  also  emptied  its  constant  current. 

This  location  has  long  been  noted  as  a  haunt 
of  robbers,  but  we  were  not  disturbed  by  any 
greater  enemy  while  there  than  the  jackals, 
which  kept  up  their  wild  serenade  at  intervals 
during  the  hours  of  darkness.  An  old  man, 
travelling  with  a  boy  and  a  forlorn-looking  don- 
key, whom  we  had  passed  at  Bethel,  crept  slyly 

(201) 


202  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

into  our  camp  Late  in  the  evening,  unci,  avoiding 
the  notice  of  the  guards,  located  his  sleeping- 
place  against  the  side  of  our  tent,  where  his 
company  kept  up  a  continual  shuffling  and 
grunting  during  the  night.  Our  annoyance  at 
this  intrusion  we  quietly  endured,  however,  out 
of  pity  for  these  poor  wayfarers,  who  must  have 
suffered  from  the  cold  winds  which  swept  down 
from  the  hills,  and  against  which  they  had  only 
their  garments  and  an  old  blanket  for  protection. 
We  could  not  help  thinking  that  thus,  perhaps, 
Joseph  and  Mary  made  their  way  over  this  same 
route,  from  Nazareth  to  Bethlehem,  just  before 
the  first  Christmas.  The  poor  people  of  this  land 
have  always  travelled  in  this  manner,  sleeping  in 
the  open  air  or  in  the  poor  khans  at  night,  and 
with  only  the  meagre  contents  of  their  wallets 
for  defence  against  hunger. 

Just  as  the  day  began  to  break  the  poor  man 
aroused  his  boy  and  donkey  from  their  sleep,  and 
hastily  departed.  Toward  evening  of  the  same 
day  we  overtook  him  at  Jacob's  Well  just  as  he 
was  entering  Nablus.  As  the  Samaritans  claim 
that  Mount  Gerizim  was  the  mountain  where 
"  on  the  third  day  Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes 
and  saw  the  place  afar  off,"  we  thought  of  the 
sorrowful  patriarch  and  his  obedient  son  as  we 
passed  the  little  party,  and  the  language  of  Gen- 


FROM  BACA   TO  THE  VALE  OF  NABLUS.  203 

esis  reverted  at  once  to  our  memory — "  And 
Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  sad- 
dled his  ass,  and  took  .  .  .  Isaac  his  son,  .  .  . 
and  went  unto  the  place  of  which  God  had  told 
him."* 

The  sun  was  beginning  to  chase  away  the 
shadows  from  the  winding  valley  and  its  deep 
recesses,  whose  dripping  waters  are  compared  to 
"  tears  "  by  the  Psalmist,  when  we  set  forth  upon 
our  day's  journey.  Scarcely  had  we  crossed  the 
little  stream  before  we  met  a  garrison  of  Turkish 
soldiers,  on  their  way  from  Nablus  to  keep  the 
peace  during  the  Easter  festivities  at  Jerusalem. 
They  came  on  at  a  quick  pace,  in  broken  ranks, 
and  were  a  hardy-looking  band,  well  used  to  slim 
fare,  fatigue  and  exposure.  We  were,  at  this 
point,  on  the  border  line  between  two  tribes  of 
Israel.  The  "  vale  of  weeping "  behind  us  was 
anciently  the  pass,  or  highway,  leading  down  from 
the  heights  of  Benjamin  about  Bethel  to  the 
pleasant  plains  of  Ephraim,  lying  farther  north. 
We  soon  drew  near  the  village  of  Sinjil,  and  at 
this  place  departed  from  the  Damascus  road  east- 
ward, in  order  to  visit  the  ancient  sanctuary  of 
Israel  at  Shiloh.  On  the  way  we  passed  a  little 
farming  village  named  Turmus  Aya,  situated  upon 
a  mound  in  the  middle  of  the  plain.     The  land 

*  Genesis  22  :  3. 


204 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


seemed  to  be  under  cultivation  in  part,  and  was 
composed  of  a  soil  at  once  fertile  and  tillable. 
Soon  after  we  turned  sharply  northward,  rode  up 
a  gentle  slope  in  the  plain,  and  were  at  ancient 
Shiloh.     This  was  one  of  the  places  which  we 


Seilun  (Ancient  Shiloh). 

had  separated  from  common  sites  as  of  peculiar 
importance  and  interest.  The  fact  that  the  tab- 
ernacle rested  here  after  its  long  wanderings  in 
the  desert,  that  Joshua  here  divided  the  territory 
between  the  twelve  tribes  after  the  conquest,  and 
that  here  Eli  and  Samuel  ministered  before  the 


FROM  BACA   TO   THE  VALE  OF  XABLUS.  205 

Lord,  gave  this  place  a  claim  to  our  careful 
attention. 

The  first  question  which  naturally  arises  in  the 
mind  of  the  traveller  upon  approaching  a  place 
like  this  is  that  of  identity.  Is  this  the  real 
Shiloh  ?  The  position  is  set  forth  in  the  book 
of  Judges  as  "  on  the  north  side  of  Bethel,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  highway  that  goeth  up  from 
Bethel  to  Shechem,  and  on  the  south  of  Leb- 
onah."*  Notwithstanding  this  clear  description 
of  Shiloh's  situation  in  the  Bible,  the  real  site 
was  not  known  from  the  times  of  Jerome  until  its 
recent  discovery  by  an  American  traveller,  Dr. 
Bobinson.  For  centuries  both  Christian  and 
Mohammedan  tradition  held  that  Mizpeh,  or 
Neh?/  Samwil,  was  the  Shiloh  of  Samuel,  and  so 
its  real  site  was  completely  forgotten.  In  June, 
1838,  Dr.  Robinson  employed  a  "common  peas- 
ant" at  Sinjil,  who  had  spoken  to  him  of  a  ruin 
northeast  of  that  place  named  Seilun,  to  conduct 
him  thither.  Upon  arriving  at  the  place  by  the 
same  route  we  traversed,  the  doctor  was  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  of  his  previous  conjecture 
that  this  was  indeed  the  ancient  Shiloh,  the 
traces  of  which  are  seen  in  the  similarity  of  the 
modern  name  Seilun. 

We   found  the   ruins  of  many  buildings  here, 

*  Judees21:  19. 


206  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

lying  upon  the  southern  face  of  a  gentle  em- 
inence, with  a  single  terebinth  tree  in  the  fore- 
ground, near  which  were  the  remains  of  a  mosque 
or  synagogue.  The  eminence  itself  was  really  a 
mound  separated  from  the  higher  hills  surround- 
ing it  by  shallow  wadies,  which  empty  their 
waters  northward  into  the  deeper  ravine  which 
runs  westward  toward  Lebonah.  This  confor- 
mation rendered  the  place  easy  of  defence,  which 
may  have  been  one  reason  why  it  was  originally 
selected  as  the  resting-place  of  the  tabernacle 
and  the  sacred  ark  of  the  covenant.  At  the 
same  time  it  was  a  secluded  spot,  away  from  the 
usual  thoroughfare,  while  it  was  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  country,  at  which  all  the  tribes  could  con- 
veniently assemble.  Just  before  reaching  the 
mound  we  came  to  the  ruins  of  an  old  church  of 
the  Roman  period,  situated  at  the  base  of  the 
higher  hill  to  the  eastward.  This  ruin  fronted 
the  north,  and  once  had  a  large  tower  at  its  cor- 
ner, fourteen  by  twenty-eight  feet  at  the  base, 
with  heaA^y  buttresses  still  clinging  to  its  sides. 
The  huge  lintel  was  still  at  the  doorway  of  the 
church,  ornamented  with  the  figures  of  a  vase, 
and  on  either  side  of  it  a  chaplet.  Three  broken 
columns  of  the  Corinthian  order  of  architecture 
lay  within  the  walls  amid  heaps  of  rubbish  and 
overgrown  with  weeds. 


FROM  BACA   TO  THE  VALE  OF  NABLUS.  207 

From  this  point  we  went  immediately  to  the 
central  mound,  only  five  minutes  distant,  and, 
ngain  dismounting,  we  ransacked  the  extensive 
ruins.  As  we  went  up  the  acclivity,  turning 
from  side  to  side  in  order  to  make  our  way 
through  the  ruins,  we  discovered  that  these  frag- 
ments must  have  been  used  in  the  construction 
of  a  modern  village.  Bits  of  pottery  lay  scat- 
tered about  here  and  there,  and  the  deserted 
dwellings  were  located  without  any  order  or  sys- 
tem in  respect  to  streets  or  passage-ways.  From 
the  summit  we  obtained  a  pleasant  view  of  the 
plain  to  the  southward  by  which  we  had  ap- 
proached the  place,  while  on  all  the  other  sides 
the  high  rocky,  treeless  hills  stood  like  grim  sen- 
tinels to  guard  this  ancient  sanctuary  of  Israel. 
Upon  our  descent  to  the  single  terebinth  tree  and 
the  ruined  mosque  in  the  foreground  we  searched 
for  some  relic  of  the  ancient  city  gate,  but  were 
unable  to  discover  any  trace  of  its  location.  The 
gate  must  have  been  near  the  location  of  the  ter- 
ebinth tree,  for  this  was  the  only  place  suitable 
for  the  main  entrance  to  the  ancient  city.  And 
here  it  must  be  that  poor  old  Eli  "  sat  upon  a 
seat  by  the  wayside  watching"  when  his  heart 
trembled  for  the  ark  of  God,  which  his  sons 
Hophni  and  Phinehas  had  carried  away  to  the 
battle-field  of  the  Philistines ;  and  here,  when  the 


208  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

sad  news  came  that  the  ark  of  God  was  taken, 
"  he  fell  from  off  the  seat  backward  by  the  side 
of  the  gate,  and  his  neck  brake,  and  he  died."* 
Precious  memories  were  associated  with  that  ark 
here  in  Shiloh,  and  indulgent  old  Eli  was  heart- 
broken even  before  the  shock  came  which  caused 
his  death.  Here  the  Lord's  call  came  to  Samuel 
during  the  silent  hours  of  the  night  as  they  both 
lay  within  the  purlieus  of  the  holy  tabernacle, 
and  that  which  would  cause  the  ears  of  all  Israel 
to  tingle  had  now  come  to  pass.  And  so  to  this 
day  Shiloh  is  desolate.  Not  an  inhabited  dwell- 
ing, not  even  a  herdsman  or  shepherd,  was  in 
sight,  and  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah  seemed  lit- 
erally fulfilled — "  Go  ye  now  unto  my  place 
which  was  in  Shiloh,  where  I  set  my  name  at 
the  first,  and  see  what  I  did  to  it  for  the  wicked- 
ness of  my  people  Israel."  f 

Without  the  company  of  our  reluctant  guide, 
we  mounted  our  horses  and  turned  down  the 
open  wady  to  the  eastward,  where  the  waters 
would  surely  run  "  softly  "  because  of  the  gentle 
inclination,  and  made  our  way  toward  the  famous 
spring  of  Shiloh.  We  soon  passed  a  number  of 
rock-hewn  tombs,  with  rectangular  openings,  sunk 
into  the  base  of  the  adjoining  hill,  which,  it  may 
be,  have  held  the  remains  of  the  descendants  of 

*  1  Samuel  4  :  18.  f  Jeremiah  7:12. 


FROM  BACA   TO   THE   VALE  OF  NABLUS.  209 

the  judges.  We  now  passed  into  the  bed  of  the 
valley,  the  stream  of  which  runs  on  the  north 
side  of  the  mound  westward  toward  Lebonah. 
The  valley  became  quite  narrow  as  we  proceeded 
eastward,  having  large  fragments  of  loose  rock 
lying  in  its  bed,  giving  it  a  "wild  and  rugged 
appearance  In  fifteen  minutes  we  turned  sharp- 
ly to  the  left,  and  arrived  at  the  fountain,  which 
is  rather  a  well  some  ten  feet  in  depth,  from 
which  a  copious  stream  of  sweet,  pure  water 
flowed  into  a  sort  of  reservoir  farther  down  the 
slope.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  spring  where  the 
maidens  of  Shiloh  came  to  celebrate  their  annual 
festival  by  dancing,  when  the  sons  of  Benjamin 
rushed  out  from  the  adjoining  vineyards,  and  bore 
them  away  as  wives  into  their  own  territory.* 

We  hastened  our  return  to  the  place  where  we 
left  our  attendants,  and  followed  down  the  stream 
over  a  rough  and  almost  precipitous  path,  wind- 
ing around  the  jagged  point  of  rocks  into  the 
•wide  and  fertile  valley  of  Lebonah.  Here  we 
regained  the  beaten  track  or  highway,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  our  course  northward.  We  lunched 
this  day  beneath  a  large  and  beautiful  terebinth 
tree,  and,  as  at  Deir  Dhvan,  had  a  number  of 
idle  men  watching  us,  while  their  wives  were 
toiling  in  the  fields  and  vineyards  near  by. 

*  Judj^^es  21  :  23. 
14 


210  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

We  were  now  in  the  plain  el  Mukhnah,  and  our 
course  ran  north-northeast,  bordered  on  either 
side  by  parallel  ridges  of  blue  mountains.  We 
saw  women  in  the  fields  weeding  wheat,  and  as 
they  plucked  the  weeds  and  grass  they  carried 
them  in  bundles  in  their  arms,  and  deposited 
them  at  the  roadside  to  be  used  as  fodder  for  the 
donkeys.  It  was  now  three  o'clock  p.m.,  the  sun 
shining  fiercely,  so  that  we  almost  envied  the 
occupant  of  a  little  booth  near  by,  composed  of 
green  boughs,  which  presented  the  appearance  of 
a  comfortable  shelter.  We  had  for  the  last  half 
hour  been  slowly  nearing  the  chain  of  mountains 
on  our  left  hand,  and  were  at  half-past  three 
o'clock  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Gerizim. 

Here  we  dismounted  at  Jacob's  Well,  one  of  the 
few  sites  surely  known  to  have  been  pressed  by 
the  feet  of  our  Saviour.  Here  he  sat  beside  the 
well,  and  instructed  the  Samaritan  woman  in  the 
mysteries  of  his  kingdom.*  The  well  is  situated 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  on  the  gentle  slope 
which  sinks  away  into  the  green  sward  of  the 
plain  below.  An  old  church,  now  fallen  into 
ruins,  marks  the  site,  in  connection  with  which 
an  arch  was  formerly  constructed  covering  the 
mouth  of  the  well.  This  arch  has  now  tumbled 
in,  leaving  a  large  open  cavern  some  eight  feet 

*  John  4  :  9-24. 


FROM  BACA  TO  THE  VALE  OF  NABLUS. 


211 


in  depth,  in  one  corner  of  which  the  traces  of  the 
well  appear  wedged  full  of  loose  stones.  It  was 
originally   very    deep,    but   for  years   has   been 


Jacob  a  ^\  l-ll. 


neglected,  until  now,  at  last,  its  mouth  has  become 
entirely  filled  with  rubbish.* 

Upon  leaving  this  relic  of  ancient  patriarchal 
life  we  noticed  on  our  right  the  so-called  tomb  of 
Joseph,f  which  bears  nearly  the  same  relation  to 
Mount  Ebal  that  this  does  to  Mount  Gerizim. 
As  we  rode  up  this  magnificent  gateway  between 
the  two  mountains,  the  well  on  one  side  and  the 
ruined  arch  over  the  tomb  on  the  other  seemed 
to  us  to  resemble  porters'  lodges,  which  are  often 
found  on  either  side  of  the  grand  entrance  of 

*  See  note  at  end  of  this  chapter, 
t  Joshua  24  :  32. 


212  TENT  AXD  SADDLE  LIFE. 

some  nobleman's  estate.  Not  far  away  was  the 
city  to  which  the  two  disciples  went  to  buy  food, 
while  the  Saviour  talked  with  the  woman  at  the 
well. 

We  soon  reached  the  two  recesses,  fronting  each 
other,  where  the  law  was  read  under  Joshua.* 
Regarded  in  any  light,  no  more  suitable  place  for 
the  purpose  can  be  found.  If  the  priests  stood 
in  the  centre  of  the  valley,  their  voices  could  be 
heard  at  the  extreme  points  of  the  recesses, 
while  the  curses  could  properly  be  pronounced 
from  Ebal,  which  to  this  day  is  rocky  and  barren, 
and  the  blessings  would  come  from  the  Geri- 
zim  side,  which  is  covered  with  green  trees  and 
vegetation.-|- 

At  this  point  we  left  the  line  of  the  valley, 
which  runs  straight  onward  through  Nablus,  and 
began  the  ascent  of  Gerizim.  Higher  and  yet 
higher  we  urged  our  weary  horses,  up  an  ascent 
which  to  a  stranger's  eye  seemed  almost  inac- 
cessible. The  merry  voices  of  the  women  and 
children,  who  were  enjoying  a  romp  and  swing  at 
a  picnic  in  an  adjoining  grove,  rang  out  cheerily 
upon  the  air.     After  a  steady  and  hard  climb  of 

*  Joshua  8  :  34. 

t  Joshua  8  :  33.  Tristram's  Israel,  p.  152,  gives  an  account  of 
his  party  stationing  themselves  on  the  sides  of  the  two  mounts 
and  reciting  the  Ten  Commandments  antiphonally. 


FROM  BACA   TO  THE   VALE  OF  NABLUS.  213 

fifteen  minutes'  length  we  came  upon  a  kind  of 
plateau,  where  we  found  a  few  specimens  of  a 
large  flower,  with  bright  crimson  petals,  of  the 
lily  or  amaryllis  species. 

We  now  enjoyed  a  fine  view  of  the  valley 
spread  out  before  us,  with  the  village  nestled 
against  the  foot  of  Gerizim  in  the  distance,  and 
the  bald  side  of  Ebal  everywhere  confronting  us. 
Another  fifteen-minute  climb,  and  we  were  at  the 
place  where  the  Samaritans  roast  the  lambs  at 
their  annual  passover.  The  spot  is  marked  by 
holes  sunk  into  the  ground  and  walled  up  with 
loose  stones.  Leaving  our  horses  there,  we 
continued  on  eastward  over  acres  of  fragments  of 
stones,  evidently  employed  in  former  times  for 
building  purposes,  until  at  last  we  reached  the  ex- 
treme summit,  overhanging  the  plain  el  Miikhnah. 

Here  we  found  an  old  tower  or  ruined  mosque, 
to  the  top  of  which  we  made  our  way,  and  were 
rewarded  with  a  magnificent  view.  On  the  north 
stretched  the  vale  of  Shechem,  bounded  by  the 
sterile  and  rocky  side  of  Ebal,  with  the  summit 
of  far-distant  Hermon  in  the  background ;  on  the 
east  was  the  beautiful  plain  el  Mukhnah,  on  the 
south  the  high  hills  of  Benjamin  and  Judea,  and 
on  the  west,  far  in  the  distance,  the  blue  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea.  With  pleasure  we  lingered 
upon  the  beautiful  scene  until  our  guide  hastened 


214  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

US  tiway,  lest  the  night  should  overtake  us  before 
reaching  the  encampment. 

When  we  had  resumed  the  saddle  once  more, 
we  followed  the  crest  of  the  mountain  westward 
for  half  a  mile,  over  loose  stones,  with  grassy 
plots  here  and  there  intervening,  until  we  arrived 
at  a  point  directly  opposite  the  village,  when  we 
commenced  the  descent.  Half  way  down  the 
mountain  side  we  came  upon  the  living  fountains 
which  supply  Nabliis  with  abundance  of  clear, 
sweet  water,  and,  amid  groves  of  poplar  and 
orchards  of  olive  and  fig  trees,  we  came  to  our 
tents,  ready  for  our  use,  just  on  the  border  of  the 
village.  Here,  as  the  evening  drew  on,  we  were 
visited  by  the  missionary  El  Karey,  who,  though 
educated  in  England,  is  a  native  of  Palestine,  and 
is  engaged  among  his  countrymen  in  the  interests 
of  Protestant  Christianity.  It  was  a  pleasure  to 
sit  with  him  at  the  door  of  the  tent,  and  listen  to 
his  descriptions  of  the  surroundings  of  Nablus 
and  the  character  of  its  inhabitants.  The  great 
hindrance  to  his  missionary  work,  he  said,  was 
the  Mohammedan  faith,  which  is  firmly  seated  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people.  The  women  especially 
suffer  from  this  adherence  to  the  teachings  of  the 
false  prophet,  which  fosters  polygamy  and  keeps 
the  sex  in  ignorance  and  degradation.  Several 
English  ladies,  travelling  on  horseback,  stopped 


FliOM  BACA   TO  THE  VALE  OF  NABLUS.  215 

near  a  group  of  poor  women  at  work  in  the 
fields,  who  looked  with  envy  at  their  more  fa- 
vored sisters  from  a  foreign  land,  and  said,  "  Dis- 
mount and  come  and  share  our  burdens,"  adding, 
"  Surely  God  has  blessed  these  strangers ;  they 
must  be  good  w^omen." 

The  question  was  started  why  the  patriarch 
Jacob  had  dug  that  deep  well  just  beyond  the 
village,  when  the  whole  vale  was  furnished  with 
fountains  of  running  water.  This  fact  El  Karey 
explained  in  this  way :  In  the  time  of  Jacob  the 
Shechemites  had  the  vale  in  their  exclusive  pos- 
session, while  the  patriarch  had  purchased  land 
in  the  plain  of  Mukhnah,  which  lies  to  the  east- 
ward. In  order  to  avoid  intercourse  with  the 
idolatrous  people  Jacob  dug  the  well  on  his  own 
land,  that  his  family  might  not  come  among  them 
to  obtain  water,  and  thus  be  contaminated  with 
their  idolatry.  The  mrssionary  also  believed  that 
the  woman  whom  the  Saviour  met  at  the  well  was 
a  peasant  woman  at  work  in  the  fields,  who  had 
just  come  hither  with  her  plain  pitcher  to  get  the 
necessary  supply  of  water. 

We  found  El  Karey's  discourse  very  interesting, 
delivered,  as  it  was,  with  the  true  Oriental  ease 
and  deliberation.  The  speaker  was  evidently  a 
genuine  "  son  of  the  soil,"  and  allowed  the  long 
hours  of  the  evening  to  wear  away  while  he  con- 


216  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

tinued  his  discourse,  and  dextrously  twisted  the 
paper  of  fresh  cigarettes,  and  smoked  them  at 
frequent  intervals.  As  he  sat  in  the  door  of  our 
tent  his  fine  black  eyes  and  beard,  olive  com- 
plexion and  expansive  chest  showed  to  good 
advantage  in  the  flickering  light  of  the  candle, 
which  was  placed  upon  the  little  table  within, 
and  was  now  burning  low  in  its  socket.  The 
purling  rills  which  ceaselessly  flow  along  the  nar- 
roAv  streets  near  by  lent  the  speaker's  voice  a 
pleasing  accompaniment;  and  when  at  last  he 
arose  to  depart  we  seemed  to  have  enjoyed  the 
charm  of  an  original  Arabian  Nights  entertain- 
ment. The  curtain  at  the  tent's  door  was  dropped, 
the  candle  extinguished,  and  we  were  soon  dream- 
ing of  the  wondrous  tales  of  the  Orient. 

Jacob's  Well. — As  Jacob's  Well  is  an  undisputed  spot,  and 
a  subject  of  great  interest  to  Christian  readers,  we  add  the  re- 
marks of  travellers  who  have  recently  explored  the  place.  The 
fact  that  this  is  at  once  a  relic  of  the  patriarchal  age,  and  a  spot 
assuredly  visited  by  the  Saviour,  gives  it  a  special  claim  to  con- 
sideration. 

There  is  much  uncertainty  about  the  original  depth  of  the 
well,  which  can  be  settled  only  by  clearing  it  of  rubbish.  In  1838 
Robinson  found  its  depth  to  be  105  feet,  Conder  in  1866  found 
it  to  be  75  feet  and  the  same  in  1875,  but  in  1881  Rev.  C.  W. 
Barclay  found  it  to  be  67  feet  deep  from  the  top  of  the  carved 
aperture  or  slab  of  stone  covering  the  mouth.  The  vault  of 
masonry  built  over  the  well  is  20  feet  long  by  10  feet  broad, 
rudely  built  and  broken  through  at  the  northeast  side.  The 
vault  may  be  the  crypt  of  a  church  built  over  the  well  in  the 


FROM  BACA    TO  THE   VALE  OF  iVAULUS.  217 

fourth  century.  Access  to  the  well  may  be  gained  through  this 
opening  in  the  vault.  A  second  entrance  at  the  northwest  side 
is  walled  up.  A  rude  stone  wall  4  or  5  feet  high  surrounds  the 
patch  of  ground  in  which  the  vault  and  well  are  situated. 

Lieutenant  Anderson  gives  the  following  account  of  his  de- 
scent into  the  well  in  1866  :  "We  lowered  a  candle  down  the  well, 
and  found  the  air  perfectly  good,  and,  after  the  usual  amount  of 
noise  and  talking  among  the  workmen  and  idlers,  I  was  lashed 
with  a  good  rope  round  the  waist  and  a  looj)  for  my  feet,  and 
lowered  through  the  mouth  of  the  well  which  we  had  opened, 
by  some  trusty  Arabs.  The  sensation  was  novel  and  disagree- 
able. The  numerous  knots  in  the  rope  continued  to  tighten  and 
creak,  and,  after  having  passed  through  the  narrow  mouth,  1 
found  myself  suspended  in  a  cylindrical  chamber,  in  shape  and 
proportion  not  unlike  that  of  the  barrel  of  a  gun.  The  twisting 
of  the  rope  caused  me  to  revolve  as  I  was  being  lowered,  which 
produced  giddiness,  and  there  was  the  additional  unpleasantness 
of  vibrating  from  side  to  side  and  touching  the  sides  of  the  well. 
I  suddenly  heard  the  people  from  the  top  shouting  to  tell  me 
that  I  had  reached  the  bottom,  so  that  when  I  began  to  move  I 
found  myself  lying  on  my  back  at  the  bottom  of  the  well. 
Looking  up  at  the  mouth,  the  opening  seemed  like  a  star.  It 
was  fortunate  I  had  been  securely  lashed  to  the  rope,  as  I  had 
fainted  during  the  operation  of  lowering.  The  well  is  seventy- 
five  feet  deep,  seven  feet  six  inches  diameter,  and  is  lined 
throughout  with  rough  masonry,  as  it  is  dug  in  alluvial  soil. 
The  bottom  of  the  well  was  perfectly  dry  at  this  time  of  the 
year  (the  month  of  May),  and  covered  with  loose  stones.  There 
was  a  little  pitcher  lying  at  the  bottom  unbroken,  and  this  was 
an  evidence  of  there  being  water  in  the  well  at  some  seasons,  as 
the  pitcher  would  have  been  broken  had  it  fallen  upon  the 
stones.  It  is  probable  the  well  was  very  much  deeper  in  ancient 
times,  for  in  ten  years  it  had  decreased  ten  feet  in  depth." 
[Recovery  of  Jerusalem,  p.  362.)  Lieut.  Anderson  made  a  second 
examination  of  the  well  in  1877. 

C.  W.  Barclay  gives  some  facts  of  interest  connected  with  his 
visit  in  1881.     He  says,  "The  well  has  been  again  and  again 


218  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

described  by  the  many  writers  on  Palestine,  and  all  have  men- 
tioned their  disappointment  that  instead  of  finding  any  sem- 
blance to  a  well,  or  anything  which  could  recall  the  interview 
of  our  Lord  with  the  woman  of  Samaria,  they  have  merely  found 
a  dark  irregular  hole  amid  a  mass  of  ruins  in  a  vaulted  chamber 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground.  I  have  shared  this  disap- 
pointment on  many  previous  visits  to  Nablds.  .  .  .  Vainly 
attempting  to  peer  into  the  dark  hole  amid  heaps  of  stones  and 
rubbish,  we  chanced  to  notice,  a  few  feet  from  the  opening,  a 
dark  crack  between  the  stones.  Fancying  that  it  might  possi- 
bly be  another  opening  of  the  well,  we  moved  some  stones  and 
earth,  and  soon  were  able  to  trace  part  of  a  curved  aperture  in 
a  large  slab  ef  stone.  .  .  .  We  cleared  away  more  stones  and 
earth,  and  soon  distinguished  the  mouth  of  the  well,  though  it 
was  blocked  by  an  immense  mass  of  stone.  Calling  two  men 
who  were  looking  on  to  aid,  with  considerable  labor  we  at 
length  managed  to  remove  it,  and  the  opening  of  the  well  was 
clear.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  our  feelings  as  we  gazed 
down  into  the  open  well,  and  sat  on  the  ledge  on  which,  doubt- 
less, our  Saviour  rested,  and  felt  with  our  fingers  the  grooves 
caused  by  the  ropes  by  which  the  water-pots  were  drawn  up. 
The  following  day  we  devoted  to  completely  excavating  round 
the  opening  of  the  well  and  laying  bare  the  massive  stone  which 
forms  its  mouth."  It  is  of  hard  white  limestone,  3  feet  9  inches 
long,  2  feet  7  inches  in  breadth,  and  18  inches  thick.  Rev. 
John  Mill,  who  resided  some  months  in  Nal)ltis  in  1860,  Avas 
informed  by  a  priest  of  the  Greek  church  that  their  church  had 
bought  the  plot  of  ground,  about  180  feet  square,  around  the 
well  from  the  Turkish  government,  paying  for  it  from  70,000  to 
100,000  piastres.  He  also  supposes  that  the  well  is  not  fed  by 
an  ' Ain  or  spring,  but  is  a  Bir  or  cistern,  supplied  by  water 
from  the  surface  during  the  rainy  season.  See  Survey  of  West- 
ern Palestine^  vol.  ii.  pp.  172-178. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union, 


(220) 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FROM     NABLUS     TO     JENIN. 

We  were  awakened  at  early  dawn  in  Nablus 
by  the  song  of  the  birds  and  the  noise  of  villagers 
astir  in  the  streets.  After  having  partaken  of 
breakfist  we  went  out  to  examine  the  town.  We 
found  it  .quite  a  manufacturing  centre,  producing 
silks,  cotton  cloths,  soap  and  other  commodities. 
The  population  is  variously  estimated  as  between 
thirteen  and  twenty  thousand  inhabitants, lately  on 
the  increase ;  and  of  this  number  there  are  about 
six  hundred  and  fifty  Christians  and  Jews,  and 
two  hundred  Samaritans.  The  others  are  all, 
nominally  at  least,  Mohammedans.* 

Evidently  nature  has  adapted  this  place  for  the 
site  of  a  city.  It  is  in  the  centre  of  Palestine, 
protected  from  the  bleak  winds  by  the  heights  of 
Ebal  and  Gerizim,  and  is  furnished  with  a  fine 
mill-stream,  supplied,  it  is  said,  by  some  eighty 
living  springs.     The  valley  in  which  Nablus  is 

*  Prof.  Socin  gives  the  population  of  Nablus  as  about  13,000; 
the  Survey  of  Western  Palestine  says  it  was  stated  at  13,000  in 
1875;  and  in  1881  Mr.  Falsher,  the  missionary,  computed  it  at 
20,760,  including  160  Samaritans  and  600  Christians  and  Jews. 
— Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 

(221) 


222  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

situated  is  only  some  five  hundred  yards  in 
width,  its  hottom  ahout  eighteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  top  of  Ger- 
izim  eight  hundred  feet  higher  still. 

The  main  street  follows  the  line  of  the  valley 
from  east  to  west,  and  contains  a  bazaar,  where  a 
great  variety  of  goods  and  products  are  sold. 
Most  of  the  other  streets  cross  this,  and  at  the 
intersection  are  the  smaller  shops  and  the  work- 
stands  of  the  artisans.  Most  of  the  streets  are 
narrow  and  dark,  as  the  houses  hang  over  them 
on  arches,  and  the  two  that  run  lengthwise  in  the 
central  portion  of  the  town  are  mere  lanes  or 
alleys  when  compared  with  the  streets  of  a  mod- 
ern city  in  Europe  or  America.  The  houses  are 
built  of  stone,  and  are  of  the  plain  pattern  so 
common  in  this  country,  and  the  dress  and  man- 
ners of  the  inhabitants  correspond  with  their 
shabby  and  dilapidated  appearance. 

The  few  Samaritans  still  in  this  their  native 
city  retain  their  ancient  temple  or  synagogue.  It 
is  a  small  edifice,  in  a  retired  place,  close  to  the 
foot  of  Gerizim,  consisting  of  a  square  nave,  with 
a  small  transept  at  the  end  facing  the  door,  and 
on  the  left  or  east  end  a  chancel,  in  which  the 
ancient  rolls  or  copies  of  the  law  are  kept,  with 
a  curtain  hanging  before  them  for  concealment. 
These  rolls,  which  are  kept  in  many  folds   of 


FliOM  NADLUS  TO  JEN  IN.  223 

brocade  and  faded  satins,  they  claim,  were  writ- 
ten by  Abisha,  the  son  of  Phinehas ;  but  Mr. 
Grove,  an  English  scholar,  assigns  to  them  an 
antiquity  of  only  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
years.*  The  synagogue  itself  may  be  five  or  six 
hundred  years  old,  and  is  the  humble  successor 
of  the  great  temple  whose  ruins  we  had  seen 
upon  the  summit  of  Gerizim.  The  Samaritans 
are  probably  the  smallest  as  well  as  the  oldest  of 
all  the  existing  religious  sects  which  have  any 
historical  standing  of  importance.  Besides  this 
synagogue,  Nablus  has  four  or  five  mosques  and 
one  Protestant  mission.  The  great  interest  in 
Nablus,  however,  is  in  its  natural  advantages  and 
its  past  history.  Here  Abraham  halted,  and 
built  his  first  altar  upon  the  soil  of  Canaan. 
Here  Jacob  came  and  dug  his  well,  and  set  up 
the  altar  of  Jehovah ;  and  Shechem  was  even 
then  a  city,  so  that  it  may  be  next  to  Damascus 
in  antiquity,  and  is  certainly  five  hundred  years 

*  The  age  of  the  Samaritan  MSS.  is  yet  an  open  question. 
Mr.  Grove's  view  is  only  a  conjecture.  The  oldest  MS.  at 
Nablus  VFas  believed  by  Dr.  Rosen  to  have  been  prepared  for 
the  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim.  Dr.  Davidson  does  not  accept 
this  vievr,  but  says  its  high  antiquity  is  unquestionable,  and 
adds,  Levisohn  procured  a  very  old  copy  from  Kahlus  probably 
written  not  long  after  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era. 
Another  codex  at  Kablns,  examined  by  Levisohn,  Kraus  and 
Dr.  Rosen,  is  also  assigned  to  the  seventh  century,  a.d.,  by 
Davidson. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


224  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

older  than  Jerusalem.  Shechem  also  became  the 
capital  after  Joshua's  conquest  of  the  country. 
Following  this  was  the  period  when  the  temple 
was  built  here  to  rival  that  of  Jerusalem.  Then 
followed  the  colonization  by  the  king  of  Assyria,* 
through  which  the  Samaritan  people  sprang  into 
existence,  with  their  bitter  hatred  of  the  Jews, 
which  continues  to  this  day.  Here  Jotham  stood 
and  uttered  his  parable,f  and  here  at  last  came 
the  world's  Redeemer  to  proclaim  the  universal 
extent  of  his  kingdom  | 

Of  the  beauty  of  this  valley  we  have  many 
testimonies.  It  has  been  compared  to  that  of 
Heidelberg  in  Germany  in  respect  to  the  sloping 
hillsides  and  abundant  foliage.  Dr.  Clarke  wrote, 
"  There  is  nothing  finer  in  all  Palestine  than  a 
view  of  Nablus  from  the  heights  around  it."  Dr. 
Robinson  wrote,  "  The  whole  valley  was  filled 
with  gardens  of  vegetables  and  orchards  of  all 
kinds  of  fruits,  watered  by  fountains,  which  burst 
forth  in  various  parts  and  flow  westward  in  re- 
freshing streams.  It  came  upon  us  suddenly 
like  a  scene  of  fairy  enchantment.  We  saw 
nothing  to  compare  with  it  in  all  Palestine. 
Here,  beneath  the  shadow  of  an  immense  mul- 
berry tree,  by  the  side  of  a  purling  rill,  we 
pitched   our  tent  for  the  remainder  of  the  day 

*  2  Kings  17  :  24.         f  Judges  9:7.         %  John  4  :  21-24. 


FROM  NADLVS  TO  JENIN.  225 

and  the  night.  We  rose  early,  awakened  by  the 
songs  of  nightingales  and  other  birds,  of  which  the 
gardens  around  us  were  full.  There  is  no  wilder- 
ness here."  Figs,  almonds,  walnuts,  mulberries, 
grapes,  oranges,  apricots,  pomegranates,  are  abun- 
dant in  their  season. 

We  left  Nablus  by  the  road  leading  down  the 
valley  westward,  amid  olive  and  orange  orchards, 
where  the  spring  birds  were  nest-building  and 
making  the  air  vocal  wdth  their  songs.  The  mill- 
stream  rippled  along  merrily  over  the  shingle  at 
our  side,  reminding  us  that  this  is  named  by  the 
inhabitants  the  most  musical  vale  in  Palestine, 
and  that  not  without  good  reasons.  Many  pas- 
sengers, some  on  horseback  and  others  on  foot, 
passed  us  on  the  highway,  besides  the  camels, 
mules  and  donkeys  laden  with  cotton  bales,  fire- 
wood and  baskets  of  corn  husks,  and,  most  inter- 
esting of  all,  a  camel  laden  with  coal-oil  from 
America. 

Our  sympathy  had  again  been  aroused  as  we 
passed  through  the  market-place  in  Nablus  by 
the  sight  of  three  young  girls,  from  fourteen  to 
sixteen  years  of  age,  who  came  staggering  into 
the  town  with  immense  burdens  of  fire-wood  on 
their  heads,  which  they  had  evidently  carried 
many  miles  to  market.  Their  faces  were  flushed, 
their  eyes  strained  as  if  ready  to  start  from  the 

15 


226  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

sockets,  and  the  perspiration  streaming  from 
eA'cry  pore.  What  would  we  say  if  our  own 
daughters  were  subjected  to  such  treatment  ?  And 
yet  these  girls,  we  thought,  have  never  done  any 
wickedness  to  deserve  such  inhuman  treatment 
above  the  thousands  of  girls  in  Christian  lands, 
who  are  reared  in  homes  of  luxury  and  blessed 
with  every  means  of  improvement  and  culture. 
The  base  system  and  bad  government  of  Moham- 
medanism is  responsible  for  all  this  wrong  to 
humanity,  and  its  abettors,  who  wink  at  its 
"peculiar  institutions"  in  order  to  preserve  what 
is  known  as  "  the  balance  of  power  in  Europe," 
must  share  in  the  responsibility  of  an  attempt  to 
turn  backward  the  wheels  of  the  advancing  char- 
iot of  a  pure  Christian  civilization. 

Another  incident  illustrative  of  Scripture  came 
under  our  observation.  When  about  one  hour  dis- 
tant from  Nablus,  we  were  to  leave  the  course  of 
the  mill-stream  and  strike  across  the  country 
toward  Samaria.  Just  as  we  drew  near  to  a  fine 
spring  by  the  wayside  I  noticed  a  man  approach- 
ing the  place  from  the  opposite  direction.  He 
had  a  package  of  considerable  weight  strapped 
upon  his  shoulders,  so  that  it  would  have  been 
difficult  for  him  to  kneel  down  to  drink  and  then 
resume  an  erect  posture.  Accordingly  he  came 
quite  up  to  the  edge  of  the  pool,  and,  planting 


FROM  NABLVS  TO  JENIN.  227 

his  feet  wide  apart,  he  stooped  forward,  and, 
gently  dipping  up  the  water  in  the  pahn  of  his 
hand,  by  a  quick  and  dextrous  motion  he  threw 
it  into  his  mouth.  This  reminded  us  of  the  test 
which  Gideon  proposed  in  order  to  sift  out  the 
poor  soldiers  from  his  band.  He  wished  for  a 
few  choice  men  only,  whose  soldierly  qualities 
would  not  suffer  them  to  lie  prone  upon  the 
earth  or  kneel  down  to  drink,  but  who  were  thus 
accustomed  to  take  water  by  lapping  it  from  the 
hand.* 

Our  course  now  lay  almost  due  north,  over  a 
district  full  of  fields  of  growing  wheat,  and 
studded  with  low  hills  covered  with  green  sward, 
quite  in  contrast  with  the  barren  hill  country  of 
Judea.  The  distance  from  Shechem  to  Samaria 
is  eight  miles  by  the  way  of  the  winding  valley, 
but  our  course  lay  more  direct  over  the  interven- 
ing hills,  and  thus  was  accomplished  within  two 
hours.  We  now  found  ourselves  in  a  sort  of 
basin,  surrounded  by  hills,  and  in  the  centre  of 
which  was  the  oblong  hill  of  Samaria,  with  steep 
yet  accessible  sides  and  a  long  flat  top.  On  this 
hill  is  a  modern  village,  from  which  two  long 
rows  of  broken  stone  columns  extend  westward. 
We  first  rode  up  the  steep  ascent  to  the  ancient 
structure  named  the  Church  of  Saint  John  the 

*  Judges  7  :  5-7. 


228 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


Baptist,  dating  from  the  middle  ages.  In  keep- 
ing with  the  tradition  that  the  Baptist  suffered 
martyrdom  here,  though  modern  authorities  agree 
that  he  was  beheaded  at  the  castle  of  Mjichierus, 
east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  his  tomb  is  shown  in  a 
deep  cavern  beneath  the  pavement  of  this  struc- 
ture.    Evidences  of  former  architectural  beauty 


EuiNS  OF  THE  Colonnade  of  Samaria. 

still  appear  in  the  fine  large  arches  and  lancet 
windows  in  this  mediaeval  building,  with  frag- 
ments of  columns  and  capitals  and  traces  of 
figures  of  the  cross  painted  upon  the  walls. 
Leaving  the  miserable  village  which  lies  just 
behind  the  church,  we  rode  on  through  the  rows 
of  columns,  erected  by  Herod  the  Great  as  a 
colonnade  in  honor  of  Caesar  Augustus.     They 


FROM  NABLUS  TO  JENIN.  229 

stand  in  two  long  rows,  along  a  terrace  on  the 
southern  face  of  the  hill,  sixteen  yards  apart 
continuously  for  a  distance  of  one  thousand 
yards,  until  they  reach  the  western  front,  where 
a  fine  view  is  gained  of  the  maritime  plain 
stretching  down  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  The 
columns  were  originally  sixteen  feet  in  height 
and  twenty-five  inches  in  diameter.  Many  of 
them  are  still  standing,  while  fragments  of  stone 
and  heaps  of  rubbish  lie  scattered  around  their 
bases.* 

As  we  returned  to  a  point  just  above  the  mod- 
ern village  we  came  upon  a  spacious  terrace,  also 
occupied  with  standing  columns,  where  some  an- 
cient structure  had  once  stood,  the  character  of 
which  we  could  not  decipher,  probably  the  re- 
mains of  Herod's  magnificent  temple.  As  we 
passed  down  the  eastern  front  of  the  hill  we 
noticed  another  group  of  these  ancient  columns 
located  near  the  base  at  the  northeast  corner. 

It  is  possible  that  this  long  winding  avenue, 
bordered  by  the  columns,  was  a  consecrated  ap- 

*  The  Survey  says :  "  The  colonnade  appears  to  have  sur- 
rounded the  hill  with  a  cloister.  The  remains  are  most  perfect 
on  the  south,  where  some  80  columns  are  standing ;  the  width 
of  the  cloister  was  60  feet,  the  pillars  16  feet  high,  2  feet  in 
diameter,  and  about  6  feet  apart.  On  the  south  it  extended 
about  2100  feet,  and  the  remains  of  a  gate  are  pointed  out,  and 
rude  rock  cuttings  in  the  southwest  corner,  apparently  the  foun- 
dations of  two  gate  towers."    Vol.  ii.  211. — Ed.  Am,  S.  S.  Union. 


230  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

proach  leading  up  to  the  temple.  The  whole  hill 
was  probably  girt  about  by  graded  ways,  well 
adapted  to  lend  a  fine  effect  to  the  imperial  pro- 
cessions of  Herod.  Josephus  says,  "  Within  and 
about  the  middle  of  it  he  built  a  sacred  place  of 
a  furlong  and  a  half,  and  adorned  it  with  all  sorts 
of  decorations,  and  therein  erected  a  temple, 
which  was  illustrious  on  account  of  both  its 
largeness  and  beauty.  As  to  the  elegance  of  the 
buildings,  it  was  taken  care  of  also,  that  he 
might  leave  monuments  of  the  fineness  of  his 
taste  and  of  his  beneficence  to  future  ages."* 

Taken  together,  these  ruins  are  as  exten- 
sive as  any  remains  of  antiquity  in  Palestine, 
not  excepting  those  at  Jerusalem  itself,  or  in 
Banias  at  the  source  of  the  Jordan.  The  first 
city  was  founded  here  by  Omri,  about  925  B.C., 
whose  ivory  palace,  located  upon  the  summit  of 
the  hill,  was  celebrated  among  the  ancients.  At 
a  later  date  the  famous  siege  of  the  Israelites  by 
the  king  of  Syria  took  place  here,  attended  by 
the  extreme  sufferings  of  the  besieged,  until  they 
were  suddenly  relieved  by  the  flight  of  the  en- 
emy, which  was  first  made  known  by  the  four 
lepers.f  Here  too  was  the  scene  of  many  of  the 
acts  of  the  prophets  Elijah  and  Elisha,  connected 

*  Antiquities,  xv.  8,  g  5. 
t  2  Kings  7  :  3-9. 


FliOM  NAB L  US  TV  JENIN.  231 

with  the  various  famines  in  the  land  and  the 
deliverances  of  the  people.* 

As  we  resumed  our  journey  northward  we  cast 
many  a  "  longing,  lingering  look  behind "  upon 
this  battle-ground  of  the  ages,  beautiful  even  in 
its  present  desolation.  As  last  seen  from  the 
summit  of  the  high  hill  over  which  we  passed, 
the  north  side  of  the  mount  appeared  completely 
terraced,  and,  though  evidently  in  a  natural  state, 
was  like  a  piece  of  landscape  gardening.  Here 
and  there  were  spots  which  appeared  as  if  ar- 
ranged into  parterres  for  flowers,  in  curved  and 
elliptical  figures,  bordered  by  the  green  sward, 
now  in  its  brightest  green  of  the  spring  season. 
It  was  the  final  triumph  of  nature  over  the  de- 
cayed grandeur  once  wrought  by  the  ambition 
and  skill  of  our  perishing  race  upon  this  "  watch- 
mound  "  of  past  genera tions.f 

Onward  from  Samaria,  now  named  Sebaste,  we 
had  a  pleasant  ride  through  the  narrow  wedge- 
shaped  territory  originally  set  apart  for  the  half 
tribe  of  Manasseh.  The  aspect  of  the  country 
was  not  unlike  that  of  Ephraim,  which  we  had 
left  behind  us  as  we  crossed  the  boundary  line 
near  Samaria.  From  hill  to  dale,  by  the  side  of 
pleasant  olive  orchards,  along  the  course  of  me- 

*  1  Kings  17  :  16. 

f  The  name  Samaria  meant  watch-mountain. 


232  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

andering  brooks,  our  route   led   us    during   the 
whole  forenoon. 

We  dismounted  in  a  fine  orchard,  filled  with 
olive  and  fig  trees,  for  luncheon  at  midday,  and 
then  continued  on  our  way  northward  through 
scenery  as  diversified  and  interesting  as  that 
passed  over  in  the  morning.  We  now  came  to 
the  long  ridges,  with  broken  passes  between 
them,  which  run  northward  and  fall  away  at  last 
into  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon.  This  was  the 
debatable  lajid,  where  the  Israelites  had  to  con- 
tend for  many  years  with  the  hordes  of  Bedouin, 
which  came  by  the  valley  of  Jezreel  from  beyond 
Jordan  to  plunder  and  pillage  the  whole  district. 
In  a  sort  of  upland  vale,  the  surface  of  which, 
though  stony,  was  covered  with  green  growing 
grass,  we  saw,  situated  upon  a  commanding  sum- 
mit, the  strong  fortress  of  Sdniir.  Here,  it  is 
said,  the  tragedy  of  Judith  and  Holofernes  took 
place,  which  is  narrated  at  length,  and  with  a 
curious  mixture  of  truth  and  error,  in  the  Apoc- 
rypha of  the  Old  Testament.*  This  singular 
story,  seldom  read  by  the  present  generation, 
has  become  almost  a  classical  legend  by  its  fre- 
quent repetition  in  the  paintings  and  statuary  of 
the  most  celebrated  galleries  of  Europe.  This 
may  be  the  ancient  Bethulia,  indeed,  where  the 

*  Judith  13  :  8. 


FROM  NABLUS  TO  J  EN  IN.  233 

great  general  of  Nebuchadnezzar  lost  his  head, 
and  the  tide  of  battle  was  turned  by  the  fierce 
bravery  of  a  woman.*  At  half-past  four  o'clock 
we  rode  over  the  crest  of  a  long  ridge,  from 
which  we  had  an  excellent  view  of  the  beautiful 
valley  of  Dothan.  This  is  the  traditional  site  of 
the  two  wells,  into  one  of  which  Joseph  was 
thrown  by  his  brethren,  and  from  which  they  took 
him  in  order  to  sell  him  to  the  Midianitish  mer- 
chantmen, who  came  from  the  mountains  beyond 
Jordan,  and  Avere  on  their  way  to  Egypt.f  Dr. 
Tristram  speaks  of  meeting  here  a  "  long  caravan 
of  mules  and  asses,  laden,  like  the  Ishmaelites 
of  old,  on  their  way  from  Damascus  to  Egypt." 
The  tell  or  mound  on  which  the  ruins*  of  Dothan 
are  found  is  very  large  and  situated  at  the  south 
end  of  a  plain  of  the  richest  pasturage,  and  at  its 
southern  foot  is  a  fine  spring.  The  remains  of  an 
ancient  road,  having  a  massive  Jewish  pavement, 
are  still  distinguishable  here,  which,  taken  with 
the    fine    pasturage    around   it,    where    Joseph's 

*  Von  Raumer,  Guerin,  and  other  travellers  have  identified 
ancient  Bethulia  with  modern  Sdnur^  but  Lieut.  Conder  points 
out  with  much  particularity  that  Sdnur  fails  to  meet  the  various 
requisites  of  the  description  given  of  Bethulia  in  the  book  of 
Judith.  He  proposes  to  identify  Bethulia  with  Meseliah,  a  small 
village  about  three  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Sdnur,  and 
which  in  his  opinion  fulfills  the  requirements  of  the  ancient 
narrative. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 

t  Genesis  37  :  24-28. 


234  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

brethren  would  find  it  convenient  to  keep  their 
flocks,  and  with  the  fact  th;it  ancient  wells  are 
yet  seen  in  the  neighborhood,  sufficiently  prove 
the  reality  of  the  Scripture  site. 

Dothan  is  distant  from  Shechem  about  twelve 
miles,  and  is  four  or  five  miles  southwest  of 
Jenin,  and  separated  only  by  a  swell  or  two  of 
hills  from  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  The  place  is 
twice  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament  account 
of  the  prophet  Elisha.  And  its  topography  en- 
ables us  to  see  how  the  king  of  Syria  could 
station  his  forces  so  as  to  "  compass  the  city," 
and  how  the  mountain  could  appear  to  the  proph- 
et's servant  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire.* 

From  the  height  above  Dothan  we  went  on 
north  by  northeast,  and  finally  descended  into  a 
narrow,  stony,  naked  dell,  not  very  deep,  but  yet 
sufficiently  so  to  exclude  a  view  of  the  surround- 
ing district.  It  was  nearly  six  in  the  evening 
when  we  reached  Jenin,  our  camping-place  for 
the  night.  This  town,  containing  some  three 
thousand  inhabitants,  chiefly  Mohammedans,  is 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  wady  we  had  just 
passed  through,  and  on  the  borders  of  the  great 
plain  of  Esdraelon.  It  is  the  site  of  the  ancient 
town  named  by  Josephus  as  Ginea,  and  the  En- 
gannim  of  Josh.  19  :  21,  and  is  now  surrounded 

*  2  Kings  6  :  15-17. 


FItOM  NABLUS  TO  JEN  IN.  235 

by  rich  gardens,  well  watered,  and  orange  groves, 
guarded  by  hedges  of  prickly-pear,  with  here  and 
there  a  palm  tree  towering  above  the  houses. 
We  found  our  tents  pitched  outside  the  town, 
adjacent  to  a  cemetery,  where  we  enjoyed  a  com- 
fortable night's  rest,  without  molestation  of  any 
sort. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

AROUND   THE    GREAT   PLAIN    OF    ESDRAELON. 

Our  camp  was  early  astir  on  Saturday  morning, 
April  12,  in  preparation  for  our  departure  from 
Jenin.  While  this  work  of  the  camp  men  was 
in  progress,  we  made  a  brief  tour  of  inspection 
around  the  village.  We  found  that  the  Turkish 
troops  were  in  garrison  here,  ready  to  meet  the 
Bedouin  hordes  who  frequently,  as  of  old,  sweep 
over  this  part  of  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon  for 
the  purpose  of  plunder  upon  the  crops  of  grain 
and  herds  of  cattle. 

A  fine  reservoir,  built  up  of  masonry,  is  filled 
with  a  supply  of  excellent  drinking  water,  which 
flows  down  from  the  hills  over  which  we  had 
come  on  the  previous  day.  It  is  in  allusion  to 
this  abundant  water  supply  that  the  place  is 
named  Jenin,  meaning  "  the  fountain  of  gardens." 

A  large  building,  used  as  a  barracks  for  the 
soldiers,  lay  just  beyond  the  reservoir,  and  near 
by  was  the  irregular  group  of  dwellings  in  which 
the  three  thousand  inhabitants  dwell,  surrounded 
by  gardens  of  great  fertility.  From  these  a 
plentiful   supply   of  cabbages,  cucumbers,  sweet 

(236) 


(237) 


AROUND  THE  GEEAT  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON.      239 

lemons,  melons    and   dates  is   obtained  in  their 
season.     One  fine  palm  tree  arrested  our  atten- 


Date-palm.     {After  Photograph.) 

tion,  the  most  symmetrical  in  shape  and  vigor- 
ous in  growth  of  any  that  we  saw  in  the  whole 
country. 

Although  this  village  occupies  such  a  desirable 
situation,  it  is  but  casually  mentioned  in  the 
Scriptures.  It  was  apportioned  to  Issachar  by 
the  fourth  lot  drawn  under  the  superintendence 
of  Joshua,  and  in  that  connection  is  named  En- 


240  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

gannim,  from  which  Jenin  is  derived,  having  the 
same  signification,  fountain  of  gardens.* 

This  fountain  is  the  source  of  the  stream  which 
flows  westward  from  this  point,  skirting  the  range 
of  Carmel  and  emptying  into  the  Mediterranean 
at  Haifa,  known  in  Scripture  as  "  that  ancient 
river,  the  river  Kishon."t  The  mention  of  this 
title,  drawn  from  that  admirable  specimen  of  Old 
Testament  literature  in  the  book  of  Judges,  so  well 
adapted  to  the  purposes  alike  of  the  antiquarian 
and  elocutionist,  will  afford  us  food  for  thought 
as  we  pass  on  our  way  toward  the  historic  site 
of  ancient  Jezreel. 

Once  more  in  the  saddle,  we  rode  past  the 
hedges  of  prickly-pear,  or  cactus,  surrounding 
the  gardens  of  Jenin,  and  took  our  route  toward 
the  north-northeast,  across  an  arm  of  the  great 
plain  of  Esdraelon.  In  the  course  of  half  an 
hour  we  began  to  cross  the  slight  undulations 
formed  from  the  spurs  of  Mount  Gilboa,  at  which 
the  plain  terminates  in  this  direction. 

The  name  Esdraelon  is  the  Greek  equivalent 
for  the  Hebrew  Jezreel,  the  name  of  the  valley 
and  site  of  the  ancient  city,  so  familiar  to  all  Old 
Testament  readers.  The  plain  is  an  irregular 
triangle  in  shape,  having  its  base  at  the  east  end, 
extending  from  Jenin  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  be- 

*  Joshua  19  :  21.  f  Judges  5  :  21. 


AROUND  THE  GREAT  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON.      241 

low  Naznreth,  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles,  and  its 
apex  at  Haifa  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea.*  The 
northern  side,  formed  by  the  hills  of  Galilee,  is 
about  twelve  miles,  the  southern,  bordered  by 
the  Samaria  and  Carmel  range,  about  eighteen 
miles,  in  length. 

As  we  advanced  northward  the  whole  plain 
came  gradually  into  view,  and  was  a  sight  of 
great  interest.  The  vast  expanse  spread  out 
before  us  appeared  to  have  a  slightly-undulating 
surface,  only  about  one-sixth  of  which  is  culti- 
vated, the  remainder  being  abandoned  to  a  lux- 
uriant growth  of  wild  grass  and  thistles.  The 
reason  of  this  neglect  is  the  same  that  hinders 
the  work  of  the  farmer  in  all  Palestine — the  lack 
of  protection.  From  time  immemorial  this 
plain  has  been  the  scene  of  lawless  plunder  on 
the  part  of  the  tribes  and  nations  dwelling  to  the 
northward  and  beyond  the  Jordan.  The  garrison 
of  Turkish  soldiers  at  Jenin  is  inefficient,  and  the 
government  itself  is  but  an  incubus  upon  the 
native  population. 

Our  guide  informed  us,  as  we  rode  along  the 

*  The  Survey  of  Western  Palestine  states  that  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon  measures  14  miles  north  and  south  from  Jenin  to 
Junjdr,  and  9  miles  from  Lejjtin  to  Zer^in.  It  has  an  average 
elevation  of  200  to  250  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  consists  of 
loose  volcanic  soil,  which  is  very  tiring  to  horses  and  not  fitted 
for  cavalry  evolutions.  Vol.  ii.  p.  36. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 
16 


242  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

bonlers  of  the  plain  without  a  single  farm-house 
or  village  to  be  seen  upon  its  broad,  fertile  acres, 
that  the  people  did  not  own  a  foot  of  this  soil, 
and  that  for  security  their  poor  dwellings  were 
secreted  among  the  high  hills  around  its  borders, 
as  in  the  plain  of  Sharon.  The  government  owns 
the  land  and  rents  it  out  to  agents  (publicans), 
who  engage  to  pay  the  authorities  one-tenth — a 
tithe — of  all  its  produce.  The  agent  goes  each 
year  to  the  sheikh,  and  asks  him  how  much  his 
people  sowed  upon  the  land.  The  sheikh  tries  to 
shrink  the  amount,  the  agent  to  raise  it.  After 
two  or  three  days  talk  they  generally  effect  a 
compromise ;  but  at  the  time  of  the  harvest  the 
grain  must  be  left  undivided  until  the  agent  ar- 
rives, often  to  the  great  damage  of  the  crop,  when 
he  generally  exacts  an  extortionate  proportion. 
Is  it  any  wonder  then  that  the  farmers  here  are 
named  "  poor  fellows,"  or  "  fellahin  "  ? 

Just  at  nine  o'clock  we  rode  up  to  Zerin  (Jez- 
reel),  a  little  huddle  of  huts  standing  on  the  site 
of  ancient  Jezreel.  Poor  as  this  place  appears, 
perched  as  it  is  upon  the  barren  ridge  which  is 
the  foot-hill  of  Gilboa,  it  affords  a  commanding 
prospect  over  the  vast  surface  of  Esdraelon.  An 
ancient  marble  sai'cophagus  attracted  my  atten- 
tion, lying  upon  its  side  and  half  filled  with  earth, 
just  on  the  border  of  the  hamlet.     It  was  orna- 


AROUND  THE  GREAT  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON.      243 

mented,  both  at  the  sides  and  ends,  with  long, 
wavy  lines  separated  with  corrugated  ridges,  and 
evidently  had  been  wrought  in  the  times  when 
this  was  the  site  of  a  royal  city.  This  relic 
compared  strictly  with  the  condition  of  the  few 
huts  of  Zerin,  built  up  of  wattled  grass,  clay  and 
stone,  altogether  wretched  and  dilapidated  in 
appearance.*  As  we  rode  along  the  mud  walls 
the  poor  inhabitants  peered  forth  at  us  with  blank 
astonishment,  while  the  dogs  as  usual  snarled  at 
our  horses'  feet.  There  is  a  square  tower  of  some 
height  at  the  north  side  of  the  huts,  partly  in 
ruins,  from  the  windows  of  which  a  fine  view 
may  be  had  of  the  surrounding  country. 

At  this  point  we  were  surprised  to  find  our- 
selves on  the  brink  of  a  steep  and  somewhat 
rocky  descent,  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  in  depth, 
running  sheer  down  into  the  valley  of  Jezreel. 
The  valley  is  broad,  with  its  stream-bed  well  to- 
ward the  northern  side,  running  down  toward 
the  Jordan ;  opposite,  in  plain  sight,  were  the 
heights  of  Little  Hermon.  The  heights  of  Gilboa 
lay  east  of  us,  the  continuation  and  culmination 

*  The  Exploration  Fund  describes  Zer^in  as  a  village  of  mod- 
erate size,  built  of  stone,  surrounded  by  rocky  ground.  A  mod- 
ern tower  or  taller  house  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  village. 
The  position  is  regarded  as  remarkable  for  its  natural  strength 
and  its  conspicuous  appearance  from  the  plain.  Vol.  ii.  p.  88. 
— Ud.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


244  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

of  the  ridge  on  which  we  were  standing.  Not  a 
shrub  or  tree  could  be  seen  on  their  lofty  sum- 
mits, nor  yet  on  their  sides,  rock-ribbed  and 
barren  as  they  were,  shining  under  the  rays  of 
the  morning  sun  in  desolate  and  silent  grandeur. 
Across  the  vast  plain  stretching  far  away  toward 
the  west  and  south  flows  the  ancient  Kishon, 
already  mentioned,  to  the  banks  of  which  Sisera, 
captain  of  the  host  of  Jabin,  the  Canaanitish 
king,  was  lured  by  the  stratagem  of  the  heroic 
woman  Deborah,  the  judge  and  prophetess  of 
Israel.*  From  the  side  valley,  which  emerges 
into  the  great  plain  yonder  at  the  point  of  Little 
Hermon,  in  which  stands  Mount  Tabor,  the  ren- 
dezvous of  Israel,  they  swarmed  forth  ten  thou- 
sand strong,  and  falling  upon  the  rear  of  Sisera's 
army,  with  its  nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron, 
routed  and  slaughtered  his  entire  force.f  This 
signal  victory  broke  the  power  of  the  Canaanitish 
hostility  which  had  continued  to  harass  the  Isra- 
elites from  the  days  of  Joshua. 

Turning  eastward  as  we  stand  on  this  lofty  site 
of  ancient  Jezreel,  we  can  see  the  marsh  land  in 
the  bed  of  the  valley  only  a  mile  and  a  half  dis- 
tant, where  the  waters  of  'Am  Jalud,  Gideon's 
Spring,  pour  their  strong  current  forth  from  the 
foot  of  Mount  Gilboa.     Here  it  was  that  Gideon 

*  Judges  4  :  2-7.  f  Judges  4  :  15,  16. 


AROUND   THE  GREAT  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON.       245 

rallied  his  famous  army  against  the  Midianites 
and  other  children  of  the  east,  who  were  pouring 
into  the  country  like  the  devastating  hordes  of 
grasshoppers  for  multitude,  threatening  to  eat  out 
the  substance  of  the  whole  land  5'  Here  he 
tested  the  men  by  the  lapping  of  water  from  the 
spring,  and,  dismissing  the  great  multitude,  kept 
only  the  famous  three  hundred. f  And  it  was  in 
this  same  A^alley  that  he  afterward  made  his 
famous  sortie  with  the  lamps,  pitchers  and  trump- 
ets, and  frightened  the  vast  host  of  Midianites 
into  a  rout  and  utter  defeat.^  Casting  the  eye 
along  these  heights  of  Gilboa,  again  we  are  re- 
minded of  the  tragic  end  of  Saul  and  Jonathan, 
which  David  celebrates  with  his  noble  eulogy. 
From  this  side  of  the  valley  Saul  passed  over  on 
the  night  before  the  battle,  and,  crossing  the 
eastern  shoulder  of  Little  Hermon,  went  to  con- 
sult the  witch  of  Endor  as  to  his  future. §  Endor 
is  now  named  Endor, \\  and  is  but  a  collection  of 
cave  dwellings,  shared  in  common  by  the  modern 
witches,  or  women  who  dwell  there,  and  cattle, 

*  Judges  6  :  3-5.  f  .Judges  7  :  4-7. 

X  Judges  7  :  19-22.  ^  1  Samuel  28  :  7. 

II  "  It  is  a  small  village  of  mud  cabins  built  against  a  steep 
hillside.  A  few  cactus  hedges  exist  beneath,  and  a  small  spring 
on  the  noi'th.  Above  the  village  on  the  east  are  some  small 
caves  in  the  side  of  the  hill,  not  ancient." — Survey  of  Western 
Palestine,  vol.  ii.  p.  84. 


246  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

and  is  more  wretched  and  wild  than  the  other 
poor  hamlets  in  the  country.  It  was  a  long 
journey  for  Saul  to  make  after  midnight,  and 
it  had  a  bitter  and  ghostly  end,  for  he  and 
Jonathan  both  perished  by  the  sword  the  next 
day  here  on  the  heights  of  Gilboa.*  And  in  the 
case  of  Jonathan,  at  least,  all  can  unite  in  David's 
lament :  "  The  beauty  of  Israel  is  slain  upon  thy 
high  places  :  how  are  the  mighty  fallen  !"f 

We  linger  yet  a  moment  to  recall  another  trag- 
edy of  Old  Testament  history  centred  here  at 
Jezreel  when  it  was  the  royal  residence  of  the 
wicked  Ahab  and  Jezebel.  Looking  to  the  west- 
ward once  more,  we  clearly  trace  the  outlines  of 
Mount  Carmel,  beyond  the  Kishon,  where  Elijah 
met  the  four  hundred  and  fifty  prophets  of  Baal, 
and  challenged  them  to  give  a  miraculous  proof 
of  the  divine  character  of  their  religion.  After 
their  signal  failure  to  show  a  sign  from  heaven, 
and  the  prayer  of  the  prophet  and  the  consuming 
of  the  sacrifice,  Elijah  "girded  up  his  loins,  and 
ran  before  Ahab  to  the  entrance  of  Jezreel."  J 
He  thus  ran  in  advance  of  the  king's  chariot, 
which  was  no  doubt  driven  in  speed,  the  entire 
distance  of  at  least  sixteen  miles  to  this  point; 
a  wonderful  feat  after  the  fatigues  of  the  day, 

*  1  Samuel  31:1-6.  f  2  Samuel  1  :  1-19. 

%  1  Kings  18  :  46. 


ABOUND  THE  GREAT  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON.      247 

and  performed  for  the  purpose  of  showing  his 
loyalty  to  Ahab's  rule  if  he  would  banish  idolatry 
from  the  land.  But  in  this  hope  the  prophet  was 
doomed  to  disappointment.  Jezebel's  influence 
was  paramount,  and  her  college  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty  priests  of  Baal,  located  here,  must  be 
sustained  at  all  hazards.  Ahab  himself  fell  into 
another  grievous  sin  in  forcibly  taking  possession 
of  Naboth's  vineyard,  situated  no  doubt  along 
this  hillside.*  Naboth's  murder  became  the  pro- 
curing cause  of  the  downfall  of  the  royal  lineage, 
for  Jehu  the  avenger  came  up  this  valley  one  day 
and  fulfilled  his  bloody  mission.-|- 

May  it  not  be  that  this  old  ruined  tower  is  the 
representative  of  the  one  on  which  the  watchman 
stood  when  he  spied  the  company  of  Jehu  as  he 
came,  driving  furiously  ?  And  these  fierce  dogs 
which  prowl  around  the  mounds  where  the  ofial 
is  cast  from  the  houses,  may  be  the  descendants 
of  those  which  did  "  eat  Jezebel  by  the  wall  of 
Jezreel."  J 

In  view  of  the  many  points  of  historical  in- 
terest centering  at  Zerin  we  would  gladly  have 
remained  longer,  but  our  guide  warned  us  that  a 
long  ride  intervened  between  us  and  Nazareth, 
our  intended  camping-place  for  the  night  and  the 

*  1  Kings  21  :  7-16.  f  2  Kings  9  :  24,  25,  27,  33. 

X  1  Kings  21  :  23. 


248  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

approaching  Sabbath,  and  so  we  hastened  our  de- 
parture. We  made  our  way,  as  best  we  could, 
down  the  hillside,  reaching  its  foot  in  the  bed  of 
Jezreel,  where  a  spring  flows  out,  from  which  the 
villagers  obtain  their  supply  of  water. 

We  next  crossed  the  valley  obliquely,  and 
began  the  ascent  of  Little  Hermon,  now  called 
Jebel-Duhy i""'  going  up  a  gentle  acclivity  toward 
the  site  of  ancient  Shunem.  We  passed  several 
small  fields  of  wheat  and  barley,  in  which  were 
several  groups  of  women  and  girls  engaged  in 
plucking  up  the  weeds,  which  they  cast  down 
among  the  growing  grain.  This  brought  to  mind 
the  Old  Testament  story,  which  will  make  the 
place  memorable  forever,  of  Elisha  the  prophet 
and  the  "great"  woman  of  Shunem,  whose  son 
went  out  into  these  fields  to  his  father  to  the 
reapers. f 

As  we  approached  the  town  we  saw  how  all 
parts  of  the  narrative  find  a  ready  explanation  in 
its  topography.     Elisha  and  Gehazi  would  natur- 

*  There  is,  as  usual  in  Arabic  names,  no  uniformity  of  spell- 
ing for  the  modern  name  of  Little  Hermon.  Prof.  Socin  writes 
Jehel  Dahi;  the  Survey,  Neby  Diihy.  It  was  called  Little  Her- 
mon by  the  crusading  chroniclers,  a  name  still  known  to  some 
Nazareth  Christians  ;  and  also  Mount  Endor  in  the  middle  ages. 
The  hill  is  of  volcanic  origin,  the  summit  conical,  1470  feet 
above  the  plain. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 

t  2  Kings  4  :  18-37. 


AROUND  THE  GREAT  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON.      249 

ally  pass  this  way  on  their  frequent  journeys 
from  Carmel  to  the  Jordan,  which  led  the  woman 
to  say,  "  I  perceive  that  this  is  an  holy  man  of 
God,  which  passes  by  us  continually."  As  the 
family  was  of  some  distinction,  "great,"  and  as 
she  was  a  person  at  once  pious  and  hospitable, 
her  proposition  to  her  husband  to  "  make  a  little 
chamber,  and  set  for  him  there  a  bed,  and  a  table, 
and  a  candlestick,"  was  readily  accomplished.  It 
must  have  been  a  welcome  shelter  to  the  prophet 
when  the  sun  was  shining  fiercely  upon  the  hill- 
side, as  it  was  upon  the  day  of  our  visit;  and 
from  the  window  of  his  little  room  he  could  look 
over  the  wide  plain,  quite  to  Carmel. 

The  death  of  the  son,  given  to  the  Shunammite 
in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  Elisha,  must  have 
been  by  sun-stroke.  The  journey  of  the  resolute 
mother  to  find  the  prophet  for  the  restoration  of 
her  son  can  all  be  traced  from  this  elevation ;  and 
so  the  whole  narrative  finds  a  striking  illustration 
and  explanation  in  the  surroundings. 

Shunem,  or  Solam  as  it  is  called  now  by  the 
natives,  is  described  by  Miss  Beaufort  as  "a 
little  village  prettily  nestled  in  a  green  nook  of 
trees  at  the  foot  of  the  hill."  We  can  hardly 
concede  as  great  praise  as  this  to  the  place,  and 
yet  must  agree  that  it  is  quite  a  respectable  town 
compared  with  Zerin  and  other  villages  in  this 


250  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

district.  The  houses  are  very  poor  indeed,  the 
chihlrcn  dirty,  and  the  women  engaged  in  bearing 
burdens  of  wood  and  grass,  or  washing  the  wheat 
preparatory  to  grinding  it  in  the  mill.  It  is 
thought  that  the  heroine  of  Solomon's  Song  was 
from  this  place ;  if  so,  her  successors  have  great- 
ly degenerated,  at  least  in  respect  to  beauty  of 
person. 

Our  track  on  leaving  Shunem  lay  to  the  west- 
ward, around  the  shoulder  of  Little  Hermon, 
with  the  wide  plain  still  in  view.  Upon  turning 
the  angle  at  the  extremity  of  the  mountain  we 
came  into  the  side  valley,  which  stretches  down 
from  Mount  Tabor ;  thus  we  discovered  that  Es- 
draelon  is  divided  into  three  smaller  plains  at  its 
eastern  end,  separated  by  the  ridges  of  Gilboa 
and  Little  Hermon. 

In  the  middle  of  this  northern  plain  we  saw 
before  us  the  round  summit  of  Mount  Tabor; 
and  as  we  kept  on  skirting  the  mountain  side, 
we  had  ample  time  to  study  its  fine,  mound-like 
appearance.  In  the  course  of  a  half  hour's  ride 
we  came  to  the  site  of  the  village  of  Nain,  where 
Jesus  restored  the  widow's  son  to  life.  It  seemed 
as  if  by  turning  around  the  mountain's  side  we 
had  come  from  the  territory  made  sacred  by  the 
events  of  the  Old  Testament,  into  that  hallowed 
by  the  scenes  of  the  New.     But  as  if  to  warn  us 


AROUND  THE  GREAT  PLAIN  OF  ESDRAELON.      251 

against  the  spirit  of  shrine-worship,  we  found  the 
site  quite  barren,  and  the  village  wretched  in  its 
appearance.  Here,  beneath  the  shade  of  an  old 
olive  tree  near  the  door  of  a  ruined  stone  dwell- 
ing, our  guide  prepared  a  luncheon.  While  rest- 
ing beneath  this  tree,  the  only  one  in  sight  upon 
Little  Hermon,  we  noticed  a  funeral  procession 
advancing  toward  the  Moslem  cemetery  lying 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  eastward.  We 
thought  of  the  account  given  by  Saint  Luke  of 
the  raising  of  the  widow's  son  from  the  bier  by 
our  Saviour;*  '-much  people  of  the  city  was 
with  her"  we  read,  and  truly  it  seemed  that  all 
the  people  of  the  village  had  gone  with  the  pro- 
cession that  day  to  the  burial. 

It  is  said  considerable  traces  still  exist  to  prove 
that  Nain,  in  former  times,  was  a  "  city,"  with 
walls  and  gates.  Now  a  few  houses  of  mud  and 
stone,  with  flat  earth  roofs,  and  doors  three  feet 
high,  sprinkled  here  and  there  without  order  or 
system,  is  all  that  remains  of  this  place,  which 
was  once  named  Nain  for  its  pleasantness. 

The  sun  was  shining  with  intense  brightness 
as  we  resumed  our  journey  down  the  mountain 
side  westward  toward  Nazareth.  We  crossed  the 
plain  fronting  Mount  Tabor  near  the  water-shed, 
where  the  streams  run  severally  toward  the  Jor- 

*  Luke  7  :  11-15. 


252  TEST  AM)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

dan  and  the  Mediterranean,  and  after  an  hour's 
travel  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  hills  on  the 
north  side  of  Esdraelon,  just  where  the  stream 
which  flows  from  Nazareth  makes  its  way  into 
the  plain  through  a  deep  gorge  between  two  lofty 
peaks,  where  the  monks  locate  the  "  Mount  of 
Precipitation."  A  narrow,  winding  path  up  the 
steep  ascent  greatly  taxed  the  energies  of  our 
already  jaded  horses,  and  it  was  with  a  sigh  of 
relief  that  Ave  paused  upon  the  lofty  summit  to 
take  a  glance  over  the  circuitous  track  of  our 
day's  travel.  For  half  a  mile  further,  amid  hum- 
mocks of  limestone,  our  trail  led  us  northward, 
still  at  an  ascending  grade,  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon we  obtained  our  first  view  of  the  little 
mountain  village  where  Jesus  passed  his  child- 
hood. Nestled  at  the  foot  of  a  lofty  hill,  sur- 
rounded by  gardens  of  olive  trees  and  cactus, 
Nazareth  lay  spread  out  before  us,  its  neat  houses 
of  stone  proclaiming  that  this  was  a  Christian 
village.  The  clear-toned  bells  of  the  Latin  and 
English  churches  were  just  ringing  out  their 
sweet  chimes  for  Easter  eve,  and  thus  seemed  to 
bid  us  welcome.  We  passed  along  the  village 
street  to  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  and  found 
our  tents  pitched  on  a  gentle  eminence  just  be- 
yond, ready  for  our  reception. 


(254) 


CHAPTER  XV. 

NAZARETH. 

Nazareth  lies  in  an  upland  vale  among  the 
high  hills  which  border  the  north  side  of  Esdra- 
elon.  It  is  thus  situated  within  the  district  of 
ancient  Galilee.  And  as  the  great  plain  has 
always  been  debatable  ground,  separating  the 
northern  province  from  the  main  portion  of  Pal- 
estine, Nazareth  was  associated  with  the  villages 
to  the  northward  and  those  grouped  around  the 
Lake  of  Galilee.  Nevertheless,  this  hill  country 
of  Galilee  has  always  been  an  integral  part  of 
the  Holy  Land,  the  district  around  Nazareth 
having  been  originally  allotted  to  the  tribe  of 
Zebulon,  the  portions  of  Naphtali  and  Asher 
lying  to  the  north  of  it. 

Nazareth  occupies  an  isolated  position  in  its 
little  valley,  surrounded  by  its  fifteen  rounded 
hills  like  "a  rose  enclosed  in  its  leaves,"  as  Qua- 
resimus  says,  thus  justifying  the  appropriateness 
of  its  name,  Nazareth,  /.  c,  Separation.  And 
yet  the  village  may  be  seen  from  Tabor  or  Jez- 
reel,  or  even  from  distant  Jenin.  The  two  rugged 
peaks  at  the  mouth  of  its  wady  serve  as  a  land- 

(255) 


25G  TEST  AS  I)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

mark  to  idoniify  ll»e  spot,  while  its  surrounding 
hills  hjive  served  to  defend  it  from  the  raids  of 
the  many  armies  which,  again  and  again,  have 
overrun  the  great  plain  below  it.  It  was  thus  fit- 
ted to  be  the  early  home  of  Jesus,  who  spent  the 
first  thirty  years  of  his  life  here,  apart  from  the 
bustle,  strife  and  tumult  of  the  world,  growing  in 
wisdom  and  stature  and  in  humble  obedience  to 
his  earthly  guardians.  This  is  just  as  the  Chris- 
tian would  have  it;  for  in  many  respects  this 
place  is  adapted  for  the  training  of  a  contempla- 
tive mind  earnestly  seeking  to  know  the  will  of 
his  heavenly  Father  that  he  might  perform  it. 

Tradition  has  been  busy  here  as  usual,  and  the 
visitor  is  taken  to  see  the  alleged  sites  of  the 
events  clustering  around  the  early  life  of  Jesus. 
We  were  first  taken  to  the  Latin  church  and  con- 
vent. In  the  former  w^e  found  a  high  altar  or 
choir  at  one  side,  beneath  which  we  descended 
by  a  flight  of  stone  steps  to  the  chapel  of  the 
annunciation,  where  the  constantly-burning  lamps 
above  the  marble  altar  mark  the  traditional  place 
in  which  the  angel  appeared  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 
Back  of  this  we  passed  into  a  sort  of  cave  in  the 
native  rock,  named  "Virgin's  Kitchen."  Upon 
leaving  the  church  we  were  taken  to  the  stone 
where  it  is  said  Christ  once  ate  a  meal  with  his 
disciples.     The  stone  is  about  twelve  by  six  feet 


NAZARETH.  25'7 

in  dimension,  with  an  elevation  of  four  feet,  having 
a  smooth,  flat  surface.  From  this  point  we  went 
forward  to  the  little  Maronite  chapel,  near  the 
alleged  site  of  the  ancient  synagogue,  which  we 
found  adorned  with  paintings,  and  containing  an 
Arabic  Bible  dated  a.d.  1696  and  guarded  as  a 
precious  relic. 

A  cliff  just  behind  this  chapel,  some  forty  feet 
in  height,  may  have  been  the  place  where  his 
fellow  townsmen  would  have  cast  Jesus  down 
headlong,  when  with  characteristic  rudeness  they 
thrust  him  out  for  preaching  the  truth  in  their 
synagogue.*  By  a  clumsy  tradition  the  monks 
locate  this  scene  at  the  "Mount  of  Precipitation," 
overhanging  the  great  plain  at  the  mouth  of  the 
wady,  one  mile  away;  but  this  is  highly  improb- 
able. The  workshop  of  Jesus  was  also  pointed 
out  to  us  in  a  modern  dwelling  in  a  narrow  street; 
but  this  also  is  without  probability,  for  the  yield- 
ing nature  of  the  Nazareth  stone  assures  us  that 
all  the  buildings  of  the  ancient  city  have  long  ago 
crumbled  into  ruins. 

Only  two  objects  which  we  visited  in  and 
about  the  place  gave  us  much  satisfaction.  The 
first  was  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  or  "  Virgin's 
Well,"  located  at  the  northern  end  of  the  village 
in  an  open  space,  where  the  women  come  daily 

*  Luke  4  :  29. 
17 


258  TKNT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

for  the  necessary  supply  of  water.  An  arch  of 
rough  masonry,  supported  by  a  stone  wall,  in  the 
face  of  which  several  small  streams  issue  forth, 
supplied  by  the  spring  under  the  Greek  church, 
collecting  in  a  deep  puddle  in  front,  is  all  that  is 
now  visible.  Toward  evening  of  each  day  the 
women  and  girls  assemble  here  with  their  pitchers, 
awaiting  their  turns  to  fill  them  from  the  running 
streams,  chatting  meanwhile  with  the  utmost  cheer- 
fulness and  freedom.  As  this  spring  must  have 
been  the  only  source  of  supply  in  ancient  times, 
it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  Virgin  Mary  used  to 
come  hither,  as  these  women  do  now,  to  bear 
away  water  for  her  household,  and  it  may  be  that 
the  child  Jesus  often  accompanied  her  on  these 
lowly  errands. 

On  two  or  three  occasions  we  saw  a  large 
number  of  the  women  and  girls  together,  and 
were  interested  to  notice  whether  we  could  trace 
in  them  any  feature  akin  to  the  traditional  beauty 
of  the  Virgin.  We  found  them  a  little  superior 
in  appearance  to  the  women  of  Palestine  whom 
we  had  seen  in  our  previous  travels,  but  could 
not  detect  the  traits  of  "  Madonna-like  beauty  " 
so  frequently  described  by  travellers.  They 
appeared  without  veils,  as  Christian  women 
should  do,  and  were  fairly  well  behaved  and 
modest  in  conduct,  as  became  their  sex,  but  cer- 


NAZARETH.  259 

tainly  were  not  above  the  average  of  those  in 
their  station  as  residents  of  a  provincial  village, 
either  in  regard  to  beauty  of  person  or  ordi- 
nary intelligence.  Still  the  effect  of  Chris- 
tian teaching  was  plainly  apparent  in  them,  and 
in  years  to  come  their  descendants  may  have 
many  traits  of  the  ideal  woman,  their  great  an- 
cestress, the  Virgin  Mary. 

The  other  event  of  great  interest  to  us  was 
our  ascent  of  the  hill  lying  to  the  west  of  the 
town,  and  against  the  foot  of  which  its  buildings 
are  located.  We  were  favored  in  having  a  bright 
day,  and  the  toil  of  the  ascent  was  well  repaid 
by  the  prospect  from  the  summit.  Looking 
northward  the  eye  ranged  over  a  large  district  of 
the  hill  country  of  Galilee,  upon  the  successive 
ridges  of  which  we  could  discern  here  and  there 
a  humble  village.  Somewhere  in  this  part,  the  site 
now  not  definitely  known,  was  Cana,  where  our 
Lord  wrought  his  first  miracle  by  turning  water 
into  wine  at  the  marriage  feast.*  Beyond  this 
surface  of  long  ridges  the  hills  mounted  higher, 
culminating  beyond  the  one  on  which  Safed  is 
situated,  the  city  set  on  a  hill,  which  cannot  be 
hid.f 

Turning  to  the  west  we  saw  the  little  seaport 
of  Haifa,  the  blue  water  of  the    Mediterranean 

*  John  2:1.  f  Matthew  5  :  14. 


260 


TEST  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


plainly  visible  in  its  little  harbor,  with  a  vessel 
or  two  riding  in  the  offing.  Overhanging  it  was 
the  blnir  of  Mount  Carmel,  with  its  foot  pushed 
well  out  into  the  sea,  and  a  roadway  from  the 
port  running  along  its  side  to  its  lofty  summit. 
A  little  to  the  eastward  we  saw  the  two  peaks  of 
the  range  which  mark  tlie  place  of  Elijah's  sacri- 
fice, one  of  which  had  a  whitish  appearance,  just 


Place  of  Elijah's  Sacrifice. 

below  which  was  a  kind  of  terrace  with  trees  and 
green  sward  adapted  to  the  prophetic  tragedy. 
At  our  feet  was  the  great  plain,  unrolling  itself 
like  a  vast  panorama,  and  recalling  the  historic 
incidents  already  mentioned,  not  forgetting  the 
brilliant  exploit  of  Napoleon,  nor  the  earlier  en- 
gagements of  the  Turks  and  Crusaders. 

To  the  eastward  we  again  saw  the  mountains 
of  Gilboa  with  their  bare  sides,  pressing  their 
feet  out  into  the  plain  at  Jezreel,  and  beside 
them  Little  Hermon ;  and  further  to  the  north 
stood  dome-shaped  Tabor  towering  upward  in  its 


NAZARETH.  261 

isolated  symmetry,  and  far,  far  away  was  the 
"  old  sheikh "  of  the  mountains,  snow-capped 
Hermon. 

A  little  wely  crowns  the  summit  of  the  hill  at 
Nazareth,  at  the  side  of  which  we  tarried  with 
delighted  interest,  and  thought  that  the  feet  of 
our  Lord  often  wandered  to  this  spot,  and  his 
eyes  must  have  often  gazed  upon  this  lovely  pros- 
pect. From  this  place  he  looked  down  upon 
his  home  in  the  humble  village  below,  upon  the 
great  plain  where  the  battles  of  ages  have  been 
fought,  and  upon  the  sea  whose  ships  were  to 
carry  the  glad  and  peaceful  tidings  of  his  gospel 
to  remote  lands  and  nations. 

As  our  stay  at  Nazareth  included  the  Easter 
Sabbath,  we  attended  service  in  the  neat  edifice 
connected  with  the  mission  of  the  English  church, 
and  listened  to  a  sermon  upon  Matthew  28  :  6,  7, 
from  one  of  our  esteemed  fellow  travellers,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Tyake.  In  the  afternoon  we  witnessed 
the  procession  formed  at  the  Greek  church  just  back 
of  the  ''  well "  or  pool,  where  Dr.  Robinson  locates 
the  spring  whose  waters  are  led  by  a  conduit  to 
the  place  of  issuance.  The  procession  passed  on 
to  the  village  with  its  chanting  choir  of  boys,  its 
richly-attired  priests  and  patriarchs,  with  banners 
and  other  decorations,  attended  by  a  great  crowd 
of  villagers  dressed  in  holiday  attire. 


262  7'A'.Y  T  A  SJJ  SA  I) J)  L  K  L IFE. 

The  population  of  Nazareth  is  variously  esti- 
mated from  5000  to  GOOO  souls  (2000  Muslims, 
2500  Greeks,  800  Latins  and  100  Protestants). 
The  number  of  houses  would  not  accommodate 
more  than  1000  people  if  no  more  densely  popu- 
lated than  the  average  American  village.  While 
the  materials  of  the  houses  which  composed 
ancient  Nazareth  may  have  been  changed,  the 
forms  and  general  aspect  of  the  buildings  cannot 
be  now  so  greatly  altered. 

Captain  Wilson  when  at  Chorazin  wrote  as 
follows  of  that  place  :  "  Many  of  the  dwelling- 
houses  are  in  a  tolerably  perfect  state,  the  walls 
being  in  some  cases  six  feet  high  ;  and,  as  they  are 
probably  the  same  class  of  houses  as  that  in  which 
our  Saviour  dwelt,  a  description  of  them  may  be 
interesting.  They  are  generally  square,  of  differ- 
ent sizes — the  largest  measured  was  nearly  thirty 
feet — and  have  one  or  two  columns  down  the 
centre  to  support  the  roof,  which  appears  to  have 
been  flat,  as  in  the  modern  Arab  houses.  The 
walls  are  about  two  feet  thick,  built  of  masonry 
or  of  loose  blocks  of  basalt.  There  is  a  low 
doorway  in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  walls,  and 
each  house  has  windows  twelve  inches  high  and 
six  and  a  half  inches  wide.  In  one  or  two  cases 
the  houses  were  divided  into  four  chambers."* 

*  Recovery  of  Jerusalem,  p.  271. 


NAZARETH.  263 

As  far  as  \^^  noticed,  the  houses  of  the  hum- 
bler citizens  of  Nazareth  have  but  one  room.  A 
stationary  seat  runs  along  the  side  of  the  wall, 
upon  which  are  cushions  with  folded  quilts  upon 
them,  where  the  inmates  sleep  at  night.  The 
few  dishes  in  daily  use  are  kept  in  sight,  a  large 
clay  water-jar  stands  at  one  side,  and  at  meal 
times  a  low  stool  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the 
floor,  upon  which  a  large  tray  is  placed  to  answer 
the  purpose  of  a  dining-table. 

The  costumes  worn  by  the  citizens  varied 
greatly,  doubtless  in  consequence  of  Christianiz- 
ing influences  at  work  among  a  people  once  pre- 
vailingly Mohammedan.  The  men  engaged  with 
flocks  and  herds,  or  in  the  vineyards  and  fields, 
usually  wear  coats  made  of  sheepskin.  Those  in 
town  wear  a  short  cloak,  with  a  gayly-colored 
turban  or  scarf  folded  triangularly  and  thrown 
over  the  head,  so  as  to  fall  over  the  neck  and 
shoulders.  The  poorer  women  wear  nothing  but 
a  long  blue  garment,  tied  in  at  the  waist.  Those 
in  better  circumstances  wear  a  bonnet  of  red 
cloth,  decorated  with  an  edging  or  roll  of  silver 
coins.  Over  this  a  veil  or  shawl  of  coarse  white 
or  variegated  cotton  is  thrown,  hanging  down  to 
the  waist.  Those  still  more  favored  wear  white 
veils,  silk  dresses,  broad  scarfs  and  many-col- 
ored trousers,  red,  green,  blue  and  yellow.    Many 


264  TEN T  AND  SADDLE  L TFE. 

were  thus  funcifully  dressed  whom  we  saw  on 
the  occasion  of  their  Easter  festival. 

The  occupations  of  the  men  are  quite  limited, 
inasmuch  as  but  little  manufacturing  of  any  sort 
is  carried  on  in  the  village.  Besides  the  fiirmers, 
gardeners  and  shepherds,  Nazareth  must  always 
have  had  carpenters.  Carpentering  was  the  work 
of  Joseph,  the  foster  father  of  Jesus,  in  which  he 
participated  as  a  youth.  The  people  said  of  him, 
"  Is  not  this  the  carpenter's  son  ?"  And  again, 
"  Is  not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of  Mary  ?"  * 

Tradition  affirms  that  Joseph  was  an  indiffer- 
ent mechanic,  and  if  so  he  was  engaged  in  such 
coarse  work  as  making  frames  and  stools,  cut- 
ting poles  for  tents,  and  mending  ploughs  and 
other  rude  implements  used  in  his  times.  His 
occupation  would  often  lead  him  away  from  home 
into  the  Jewish  hamlets  such  as  Cana,  Nain  and 
even  Bethsaida  and  Capernaum.  And  thither, 
doubtless,  Jesus  often  accompanied  him  and 
wrought  with  him  in  his  calling.  When  at  home 
they  had  their  work-bench  in  the  narrow  street. 

Let  us  not  think,  however,  that  this  humble 
calling  left  our  Lord  no  time  for  worship,  study 
and  reflection.  He  was  accustomed  to  attend 
upon  the  simple  services  of  the  synagogue,  where 
he  gained  his  knowledge  of  the  Old  Testament 

*  Matthew  13  :  55  ;   Mark  6  :  3. 


NAZARETH. 


265 


Scriptures,  of  which   his   deep  spiritual  insight 
revealed  a  new  and  life-like  interpretation. 

He  was  an  interpreter  of  nature  as  well,  and 
for  him  there  were  "  sermons  in  stones,  tongues 
in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks,  and  God  in 
everything."     Hence  his  mention  of  the  flowers, 


Lily.    {Anemone  coronaria.) 


Scarlet  Lily.    (lAlmm  chalcedontcum.) 


"  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow ; 
they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin ;  and  yet  I 
say  unto  you.  That  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory 
was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these."*  Did  he 
speak  this  of  the  bright  scarlet  anemones  which 
abound  over  these  hillsides  in  the  spring  season, 

*  Matthew  G  :  28,  29. 


266  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

and  give  such  beauty  to  the  otherwise  sombre 
landscape  ?  Besides  the  anemones  there  are  the 
phlox,  pink  and  variegated ;  rock  roses,  white, 
yellow  and  cardinal ;  great  golden  flowers,  pink 
convolvulus,  marigolds,  wild  geraniums,  red  tu- 
lips, mignonnette  and  cyclamens.  Whatever 
names  these  flowers  may  have  had  in  the  days  of 
our  Lord  upon  earth,  he  knew  them  all,  and  rec- 
ognized in  them  the  beauty  which  his  Father's 
hand  wrought  in  all  the  fair  works  of  his  creation. 
He  also  said,  "Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a 
farthing  ?  and  one  of  them  shall  not  fall  on  the 
ground  without  your  Father."  *  It  is  said  that 
there  are  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  different 
kinds  of  birds  in  Palestine,  and  many  of  them 
are  found  about  Nazareth.  Besides  the  song- 
sparrows  there  are  doves  always  flitting  about 
and  alighting  upon  the  house-tops  of  the  village. 
Upon  the  cactus  hedges  may  be  seen  also  the 
restless  titmouse,  the  voluble  wren  and  the  red- 
breast. Swallows  and  swifts  skim  across  the 
hill-tops,  and  the  nightingale  and  song-thrush 
pour  forth  their  melody  when  the  sun  is  near 
his  setting. 

Familiar  with  this  scenery  from  childhood, 
Jesus  drew  many  of  his  choice  illustrations  from 
these  objects,  and  his  words  seem  almost  to  have 

*  Matthew  10  :  29. 


NAZARETH.  267 

a  new  meaning  when  read  in  the  light  of  these 
surroundings.  "  Behold  the  birds  of  the  heaven, 
that  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor 
gather  into  barns ;  and  your  heavenly  Father 
feedeth  them."*  And  how  fitting  is  his  applica- 
tion, "Are  not  ye  of  much  more  value  than  they? 
Therefore  be  not  anxious  for  your  life,  what  ye 
shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink  ;  nor  yet  for  your 
body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more 
than  the  food,  and  the  body  than  the  raiment  ?" 

As  the  last  evening  of  our  stay  in  Nazareth 
drew  on,  these  were  our  reflections.  Here  cer- 
tainly was  the  home  of  Joseph  and  Mary  and  the 
workshop  of  the  carpenter.  On  this  hill,  and  the 
higher  one  westward,  the  feet  of  Jesus  must  have 
often  pressed  the  rock  or  earth.  His  eyes  took 
in  the  outline  of  these  fifteen  gently-rounded 
hills,  which,  as  Dean  Stanley  says,  "  seem  as  if 
they  had  met  to  form  an  enclosure  for  this  peace- 
ful basin — they  rise  round  it  like  the  edge  of  a 
shell  to  guard  it  from  intrusion." f 

The  Virgin's  Well  is  thronged  with  women  car- 
rying away  the  water  for  their  households  in  pots 
borne  upon  their  heads  and  shoulders.  The  fes- 
tival in  the  grove  near  by  is  nearly  over,  the 
children   reluctantly  straggling   homeward.     As 

*  Matthew  6  :  26  (Revision), 
t  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  357. 


268  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

they  pass  along  in  merry  groups  their  clear  voices 
ring  out  on  the  air ;  and  the  lowing  of  cattle  and 
bleating  of  sheep  passing  into  their  folds  for 
the  night  make  up  a  scene  of  charming  pastoral 
simplicity.  And  this  is  the  point  from  which 
rays  of  heavenly  light  and  wisdom  have  been 
spreading  over  the  earth  for  centuries.  From 
here  has  gone  forth  a  faith  to  which  the  civilized 
nations  of  the  world  cling  with  ever-increasing 
hope  and  certitude  as  the  ages  roll  away.  For 
here  the  great  Teacher  of  men,  the  Ideal  of  the 
race,  the  Messiah  and  Saviour  of  the  world,  grew 
up  to  manhood,  and  in  his  own  experience  laid 
the  foundations  of  his  gospel  kingdom. 

When  we  consider  the  limited  advantages  en- 
joyed by  a  youth  who  lived  in  this  provincial 
village  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  when  we 
further  note  the  proverbially  rude  character  of  the 
Nazarenes  in  that  day,  we  are  not  surprised  at  the 
question  of  his  fellow  citizens,  "  From  whence  has 
this  man  these  things  ?  and  what  wisdom  is  this 
which  is  given  unto  him,  that  even  such  mighty 
works  are  wrought  by  his  hands  ?"*  In  the  light 
of  all  the  facts  of  the  case,  is  not  that  question 
fairly  unanswerable,  except  as  answered  by  the 
four  evangelists  and  the  subsequent  progress  of 
Christianity  ? 

*  Mark  6  :  2. 


C270) 


CHAPTER  XVL 


TABOR     AND     TIBERIAS. 


While  we  were  busy  with  sight-seeing  in  Naz- 
areth, our  guide  was  diligently  engaged  in  pre- 
paring for  our  future  journey.  The  supply  of 
bread  brought  from  Jerusalem  was  exhausted,  and 
a  fresh  stock  must  be  laid  in  from  the  village 
baker's  oven.  It  proved  to  be  the  most  sodden, 
sour,  and  execrable  apology  for  food  we  ever 
had  tasted ;  and  when,  afterward,  it  became  thor- 
oughly dry,  we  thought,  "  When  we  ask  bread, 
will  he  give  us  a  stone  ?" 

Leaving  our  camping-ground,  near  the  "  Well 
of  the  Virgin,"  on  the  morning  of  April  14,  we 
passed  over  the  gentle  hills  lying  to  the  east 
of  Nazareth,  on  our  way  to  Mount  Tabor.  The 
morning  air  was  cool  and  bracing,  and  our  horses, 
refreshed  by  their  long  rest  over  Sunday,  went 
forward  without  the  usual  amount  of  urging. 

The  dew  lay  thickly  scattered  upon  the  grass, 
and  glistened  upon  the  leaves  of  the  many  oak 
trees,  which  bordered  our  winding  pathway.  The 
country,  though  rather  broken,  was  quite  fertile 
and  afforded  good  pasture,  but  only  a  small  por- 

(271) 


272  TENT  AXD  SADDLE  LIFE. 

tion  of  it  was  under  cultivation.  After  passing 
the  ^vater-slle(l  we  began  the  long  and  gradual 
descent  to  the  foot  of  Tabor.  At  the  point  of  our 
approach,  a  slight  elevation  joins  the  mountain 
with  these  hills  of  Nazareth,  forming  its  only 
connection  with  the  surrounding  summits.  The 
distance  traversed  to  this  point  is  said  to  be  about 
five  miles.  We  found  the  ascent  of  Tabor  quite 
difficult,  the  trail  often  mounting  over  the  project- 
ing ledges  of  limestone,  where  a  misstep  might 
roll  both  horse  and  rider  down  the  mountain  side. 
We  came  upon  many  thickets  of  oak  trees,  with 
syringa  and  other  shrubs,  amid  which  w'olves, 
wild  boars,  lynxes,  and  various  reptiles  have  their 
coverts.  We  reached  the  summit  at  ten  o'clock, 
having  been  just  three  hours  on  the  way  from  our 
encampment.  A  fine  Saracenic  arch,  connected 
with  an  ancient  wall  which  formerly  encircled  the 
whole  plateau,  and  named  Bah-el-Hawa — "  Gate 
of  the  Wind  " — confronted  us  immediately  upon 
reaching  the  level  area.  Passing  under  this,  we 
paused  to  take  in  the  southern  view,  which  in- 
cludes a  section  of  the  surface  of  Esdraelon.  We 
then  passed  on  eastward  over  what  seemed  to  have 
been  once  a  place  for  a  garden,  now  affording  fine 
pasture  for  the  herd  of  goats  kept  here  by  the 
monks.  The  whole  surface  is  less  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  long  and  an  eighth  of  a  mile  wide,  and 


TABOR  AND  TIBERIAS.  273 

is  quite  level.  The  height  of  Tabor  is  variously 
estimated  at  from  1000  to  1400  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  surrounding  plain,  and  from  1700  to 
1900  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.* 

At  the  east  end  of  the  oblong  space  we  found 
the  old  fortress  which  the  monks  of  the  Greek 
Church  have  turned  into  a  place  of  worship  and  a 
monastery.  Here  we  dismounted,  and  giving  our 
horses  in  charge  of  the  attendants,  went  on  to  the 
southeast  angle,  where  we  found  the  remains  of 
extensive  walls  and  fallen  columns.  This  is  the 
point,  doubtless,  where  tradition  has  located  the 
scene  of  the  Transfiguration,  and  these  are  the  re- 
mains of  elaborate  structures  once  erected  here  in 
honor  of  it. 

Had  we  positive  Scripture  evidence  for  locating 
the  Transfiguration  here,  no  more  suitable  place 
could  be  imagined.  The  isolation  of  the  mountain, 
its  loftiness  and  symmetry,  the  extended  views 
afforded  in  every  direction,  and  the  vicinity  of 
other  places  visited  by  Christ,  would  render  this 
place  most  fitting  as  the  scene  of  that  great  event. 
While  tradition  favors  the  theory  that  this  is  the 
Mount  of   Transfiguration,  modern  research  de- 

*  The  survey  gives  1843  feet  above  the  sea,  vphile  Prof.  Socin 
states  that  its  height  above  the  table-land  is  about  1055  feet  and 
above  the  Mediterranean  Sea  2018  feet. — Schaff'^s  Diet,  of  Bible, 
p.  843.  • 
18 


274  TENT  A  ND  SA  I)  Dl.  E  L IFE. 

cides  against  it,  and  locates  the  scene  on  Mount 
Hermon,  near  Banias.  The  evangelists  leave  this 
matter  of  the  location  an  open  question,  and  prob- 
ably we  would  do  well  to  follow  their  example. 
The  chief  objection  to  the  traditional  view  is  that 
this  mountain  was  occupied  by  a  fortress  and 
town  in  the  days  of  Christ,  and  a  wall,  which  Jo- 
sephus  declares  that  he  himself  rebuilt  some  sixty 
years  afterward.  The  mention  of  "snow,"  in  the 
evangelist's  description,  is  also  regarded  as  inci- 
dental proof  that  Hermon,  which  is  generally  cov- 
ered with  snow,  is  the  mountain  intended.'''  Dr. 
Thomson  says,  however :  "  The  fact  that  there 
may  have  been  a  village  on  the  top  at  that  time 
does  not  present  any  difficulty.  There  are  many 
secluded  and  densely-wooded  terraces  on  the  north 
and  northeast  sides  admirably  adapted  to  the 
scenes  of  the  Transfiguration.  I  have  been  de- 
lighted to  wander  through  some  of  them,  and  cer- 
tainly regretted  that  my  early  faith  in  this  site 
had  been  disturbed  by  prying  critics ;  and,  after 
reading  all  that  they  have  advanced  against  the 
current  tradition,  I  am  not  fully  convinced."  f 

While  the  word  Tabor  does  not  occur  in  the 
New  Testament,  it  is  several  times  mentioned  in 
the  Old  :  first,  as  on  the  border  between  Issachar 

*  Mark  9  :  3. 

t  Land  and  Book,  vol.  ii.  p.  139. 


TABOR  AND  TIBERIAS.  275 

and  Zebulun,  and  then  as  the  rendezvous  for 
Barak's  army — to  which  allusion  has  already 
been  made — and  then  by  the  Psalmist,  "  Tabor 
and  Hermon  shall  rejoice  in  thy  name."* 

Upon  returning  to  the  monastery  for  our  horses 
we  hoped  to  see  something  of  the  institution,  but 
the  gate  was  closed,  and  as  our  horses  were  ready 
we  mounted  for  the  descent.*}* 

Quite  a  romantic  story  is  told  of  an  aged  monk 
named  Erinna,  who  lived  on  Mount  Tabor  for 
many  years,  and  died  here  in  the  year  1857. 
He  was  the  son  of  an  archimandrate  of  a  monas- 
tery in  the  Crimea,  and  took  orders  at  a  very 
early  age,  with  the  expectation  that  he  should 
succeed  his  father  in  authority.  But  soon  after 
he  had  settled  down  in  this  quiet  life,  a  vision,  as 
he  thought,  appeared  to  him,  in  which  he  saw  a 

*  Psalm  89:  12. 

f  The  tradition  that  Tabor  was  the  scene  of  the  Transfiguration 
is  as  old  as  the  fourth  century  and  as  Saint  Jerome.  Helena 
built  a  church  on  the  top  of  Tabor  in  326.  In  the  sixth  century 
three  churches  are  mentioned  as  existing  then,  and  later  a  mon- 
astery. These  were  plundered  by  the  Muslims  in  1113,  and 
again  in  1183  by  the  Saracens,  and  a  third  time  laid  waste  in 
1 187  by  Saladin.  One  was  partially  restored  but  again  destroyed 
in  1209,  and  a  fourth  erected  from  the  ruins,  which  was  itself 
destroyed  in  1263.  The  ruins  on  the  summit  are  therefore  Jew- 
ish, Byzantine,  Crusading  and  Saracenic.  For  in  b.c.  218  Anti- 
ochus  the  Great  founded  a  town  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  later 
Josephus  caused  it  to  be  fortified.  Tabor  is  mentioned  eight 
times  in  the  Old  Testament. — Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


276  TEST  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

mountain  of  most  peculiar  form,  and  heard  a  voice 
saying,  "Arise,  my  son,  and  behold  thy  home 
upon  earth."  The  dream  was  repeated  seven 
nights  running,  and  at  last  the  dreamer  did  arise. 
He  knew  not  where  to  go  to  find  the  mountain, 
and  no  one  gave  him  any  information  about  it; 
however,  he  set  out,  and  went  first  to  Mount 
Athos,  then  to  Mount  Sinai,  and  then  to  Mount 
Ararat  in  Armenia;  but  none  answered  to  the 
picture  in  his  dream.  He  travelled  far  into  the 
east,  then  into  the  west ;  eleven  years  of  jour- 
neying, and  at  last  he  stood  before  Mount  Tabor. 
"This  is  it,"  he  said;  "I  have  found  it;  this  is 
the  strange  shape  I  saw  in  my  dream ;  I  have 
sought,  and  found  nothing  like  this !"  So  he 
ascended  the  mountain,  and  never  left  it  again. 
Here  he  lived  for  many  years,  and  collected  money 
from  pilgrims,  which,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
amounted  to  enough  to  build  the  church  and 
monastery.  He  is  said  to  have  been  remarkable 
for  his  long  beard,  and  for  a  tame  panther  which, 
like  the  ancient  hermits,  he  made  his  constant 
companion.  He  was  a  man  of  huge  physical  pro- 
portions, and  claimed  to  subsist  entirely  upon 
milk  and  herbs.* 

*  Readers  of  the  book  named  Ben  Hur  will  probably  con- 
clude that  the  author,  Gen.  L.  Wallace,  obtained  the  foundation 
for  its  opening;  chapters  from  the  legend  of  the  monk  of  Mount 
Tabor. 


TABOR  AND   TIBERIAS.  277 

We  descended  the  upper  portion  of  the  mount- 
ain by  the  usual  path,  and  then  turned  away  to 
the  northeast  across  one  of  its  lower  ridges,  and, 
at  the  distance  of  one  mile,  stopped  for  luncheon. 
We  found  ourselves  in  what  western  farmers 
would  call  an  "  oak-opening."  The  trees  were  far 
apart,  and  the  ground  between  them  was  covered 
with  green  grass,  variegated  with  many  beautiful 
flowers.  We  here  took  our  last  view  of  Mount 
Tabor,  which,  from  this  point,  appeared  like  a 
truncated  cone,  rounded  off  at  the  top.  Its  gen- 
eral features  reminded  me  of  those  extensive 
mounds  which  are  found  at  Graves'  Creek,  Vir- 
ginia, and  Miamisburg,  Ohio,  though  much  greater 
in  its  altitude  and  proportions ;  but  Tabor  is  ev- 
idently a  natural  tumulus,  altogether  too  great 
to  have  been  fashioned  by  the  hand  of  man. 

Our  course  now  lay  toward  the  northeast,  over  a 
country  with  a  slightly-undulating  surface,  grad- 
ually ascending  as  we  advanced,  but  yet  a  contin- 
uation of  the  plain  surrounding  Tabor.  About  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  khan  of 
Tujjar,  a  place  famous  for  robbers,  but  beauti- 
fully situated  in  a  shallow  wady  the  waters  of 
which  flow  southward.  As  we  were  approaching 
the  high  table-lands  which  overlook  Tiberias,  we 
came  in  sight  of  the  "  Horns  of  Hattin,"  supposed 
to  be  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes.     This  is  a  ridge 


278  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

of  ground  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length, 
and  rising  above  the  level  of  the  plain  over  which 
y^Q  passed  to  a  height  of  from  thirty  to  forty  feet. 
At  either  end  is  an  elevation,  or  "horn,"  from 
fifty  to  sixty  feet  high,  from  which  it  takes  its 
name.  It  commands  an  extensive  view  toward 
the  north  and  east,  as  it  stands  upon  the  edge  of 
a  steep  hillside  bordering  the  lower  plain  of  Hat- 
tin,  beyond  which,  and  at  a  still  lower  level,  lies 
the  plain  of  Gennesaret.  The  northern  half  of 
the  Lake  of  Galilee  is  also  in  plain  view  from  this 
point,  beyond  which  may  be  seen  the  hills  of  the 
Hauran,  with  Mount  Hermon  in  the  distance. 
It  is  doubtless  in  reference  to  its  appearance  on 
this  side  that  it  is  named  a  mountain,  as  it  is  only 
a  low  ridge  "when  seen  from  the  south.  There  is 
no  certain  proof  that  it  is  the  place  where  the 
Saviour  gave  his  first  lengthy  discourse,  but  its 
nearness  to  the  lake  villages,  its  lofty  and  isolated 
situation,  leave  it  without  a  rival  in  probability 
or  tradition.  "  The  platform  at  the  top  is  evi- 
dently suitable  for  the  collection  of  a  multitude, 
and  corresponds  precisely  to  the  level  place  to 
which  Christ  would  '  come  down,'  as  from  one  of 
its  higher  horns,  to  address  the  people.  Its  situ- 
ation is  central  to  the  peasants  of  the  Galilean 
hills  and  the  fishermen  of  the  Galilean  lake,  be- 
tween which  it  stands,  and  would  therefore  be  a 


TAfiOR  AND  TIBERIAS.  279 

natural  resort  for  Jesus,  and  for  his  disciples 
when  they  retired  for  solitude  from  the  shores  of 
the  sea ;  and  also  for  the  crowds  who  assembled 
'  from  Galilee,  from  Decapolis,  from  Jerusalem, 
from  Judea,  and  from  beyond  Jordan.'"'"  Safed, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  the  "  city  that  is  set  on 
an  hill/'f  is  also  within  plain  sight  of  this  place. 

It  seems  incongruous  that  a  place  thus  hallowed 
as  is  claimed  by  the  utterance  of  the  "  Sermon  on 
the  Mount"  should  be  the  scene  of  one  of  the 
fiercest  and  most  sanguinary  conflicts  of  the  times 
of  the  Crusaders,  but  such  is  the  fact  recorded  in 
history.  On  the  5th  of  Jul}^  1187,  the  available 
forces  of  the  Christians  in  Palestine  were  encamped 
upon  the  ridge,  and  "  round  the  base  of  the  hill  on 
every  side  was  the  victorious  army  of  Saladin 
ready  for  the  attack."  Under  the  burning  rays 
of  a  midsummer  Syrian  sun,  cut  off  from  water 
supply  until  nearly  perishing  from  heat  and  thirst, 
the  Christians  withstood  the  Mohammedans  in 
three  separate  attacks,  and  then,  breaking  their 
ranks,  gave  themselves  up  to  their  fate.  This 
unconditional  surrender  put  the  whole  land  under 
Mohammedan  rule,  in  which  condition  it  remains 
until  the  present  time. 

From  this  point  we  crossed  the  lofty  plateau, 

*  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  360. 
t  Matthew  5  :  14. 


280  TENT  AND  SAUDLE  LIFE. 

from  which  the  hike  can  be  seen  to  the  greatest 
advantage,  and  went  directly  to  Tiberias.  While 
descending  the  long  slope  stretching  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  we  came  upon  a  great  army  of  grass- 
hoppers, all  marching  up  the  hill  and  evidently 
on  their  way  to  the  i)lain  of  Esdraelon.  Language 
fails  in  attempting  a  description  of  their  numbers. 
Every  weed,  every  blade  of  grass,  every  stone 
and  hummock,  seemed  covered  with  them.  They 
were  a  little  larger  than  the  ordinary  American 
grasshopper,  but  otherwise  did  not  differ  from 
it  in  appearance.  As  the  prophet  Jeremiah 
said  of  the  soldiers  of  Babylon,  whom  he  com- 
pared to  these  insects,  they  w^ere  "innumerable."* 
An  immense  flock  of  white  sea-fowls,  griffons  or 
vultures,  were  on  the  track  of  the  grasshoppers 
and  enjoying  a  royal  feast,  to  the  great  admira- 
tion of  the  poor  farmers. 

We  rode  into  Tubariya,  i.  e.,  Tiberias,  through  a 
breach  made  in  the  walls  by  the  earthquake  of  Jan- 
uary 1,  1837.  This  is  the  only  town  of  any  con- 
siderable size  left  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
though  it  appears  well  when  seen  in  cuts  and  en- 
gravings, it  is  sadly  uninviting  to  the  weary  trav- 
eller who  is  in  search  of  food  and  shelter.  The 
city  wall  must  have  been  originally  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  in  height,  having  tall  towers  at  regular 

*  Jeremiah  46  :  23. 


TABOR  AND   TIBERIAS. 


281 


intervals,  a  few  of  which  are  still  standing,  though 
in  a  shattered  condition.  Many  of  the  buildings 
have  crevices  and  great  gaps  in  the  walls,  and  not 
a  few  appear  to  have  been  hastily  thrown  together, 
at  a  more  recent  date,  from  the  remains  of  former 


The  Sea  of  Galilee  from  Tiherias.     (AJIit  or!<jinal  Pfio/or/mph.) 

and  more  elaborate  structures.  The  population 
is  said  to  be  2000,-1000  Moslems,  900  Jews 
and  100  Christians.  But  Prof.  Socin  in  1873 
thought  there  were  3000  people  here,  more  than 
half  Jews.  A  tall  tower,  octagonal  in  form,  with 
a  sort  of  balcony  fringing  it  around  near  the  top, 
stands  back  toward  the  northwest  corner  of  the 


282  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

town,  and  is  quite  a  conspicuous  object  as  seen 
from  the  surrounding  shores  of  the  hike.  A 
dozen  or  two  palm  trees  also  rise  above  the  flat- 
roofed  buildings,  attesting  the  former  fertility  of 
the  soil  and  the  mild  nature  of  the  climate.  The 
houses  stand  quite  on  the  water's  edge,  and 
though  no  traces  of  the  city  wall  appear  length- 
wise on  this  side  of  the  town,  the  remains  of 
masonry  may  be  seen  extending  into  the  water. 

The  effects  of  the  great  earthquake  give  a  des- 
olate and  ragged  appearance  to  the  whole  place, 
several  hundred  houses  having  been  completely 
destroyed,  and  the  great  fortress  on  the  west 
side  utterly  ruined.  A  few  years  after  the 
catastrophe,  a  native  stated  to  a  companion 
of  Dr.  Robinson  that  he  and  four  others 
were  returning  down  the  mountain  west  of  the 
<3ity  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  earthquake  oc- 
curred. All  at  once  the  earth  opened  and  closed 
again,  and  two  of  his  companions  disappeared. 
He  ran  home  affrighted,  and  found  that  his  wife, 
mother,  and  two  others  in  the  family,  had  per- 
ished. On  digging  next  day  where  his  two  com- 
panions had  disappeared,  they  were  found  dead 
in  a  standing  posture.''' 

Tiberias  is  one  of  the  four  cities  in  the  land  re- 
garded as  holy  by  the  Jews  (Jerusalem,  Hebron, 

*  Eobinsou :  Hesearches,  vol.  iii.  p.  255. 


TABOR  AND  TIBERIAS.  283 

Safed,  are  the  others),  in  which,  as  they  say, 
prayer  must  be  oflered  without  ceasing,  or  the 
world  would  fall  back  instantly  into  chaos.  They 
expect  also  that  their  Messiah,  when  he  appears, 
will  emerge  from  the  waters  of  the  lake,  and, 
landing  at  Tiberias,  proceed  to  Safed,  and  there 
establish  his  throne  on  the  highest  summit  of 
Galilee.  Hence  the  tendency  for  immigration  to 
this  point  for  people  of  Jewish  ancestry  from  the 
various  countries  of  Europe,  especially  from  Po- 
land and  Russia.  When  their  forefathers  ceased 
their  desperate,  yet  useless,  resistance  against  the 
Roman  government  for  possession  of  the  country, 
many  of  their  learned  rabbis  came  to  this  place, 
among  whom  was  Rabbi  Jehuda  Hakkadosh,  who, 
about  180  A.D.,  compiled  the  famous  collection  of 
Jewish  laws  and  traditions  known  by  the  name  of 
the  Mishna.  Jewish  learning  still  makes  a  show  of 
existence  here,  though  the  teaching  is  carried  on 
mainly  in  private  houses — one  would  think,  under 
many  disadvantages,  inasmuch  as  the  "king  of 
the  fleas  is  said  to  hold  his  court  at  Tiberias." 
In  addition  to  German,  or  other  languages  of  their 
several  countries,  the  Jews  here  speak  rabbinic 
Hebrew  and  modern  Arabic.  Probably  in  no 
place  in  the  world  is  the  Hebrew  spoken  as  a  ver- 
nacular language  to  such  an  extent  as  here.* 

*  It  is  also  spoken  in  Jerusalem. 


284  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

We  passed  through  the  Jewish  quarter,  in  the 
centre  of  the  town  and  quite  near  the  lake,  but 
saw  nothing  inviting  about  it.  The  houses  are 
square,  rickety  structures,  built  of  stone,  crowded 
up  against  each  other  without  the  slightest  regard 
to  order  or  system,  and  do  not  appear  to  be  kept 
with  any  great  degree  of  cleanliness.  The  men 
wore  high  fur  caps,  as  no  doubt  was  customary 
among  their  ancestors  in  some  far-off  cold  climate, 
and  beneath  which  their  hair  straggled  forth  in 
long  ringlets,  a  solitary  curl  in  every  case  dang- 
ling in  front  of  each  ear.  Altogether,  they  looked 
like  a  people  in  a  strange  land,  beset  by  poverty 
and  superstition. 

Having  taken  this  casual  view  of  the  town,  we 
entered  our  camp,  located  a  few  rods  east  of  the 
ancient  city  walls,  and  not  far  from  the  lake 
shore,  where  we  passed  a  comfortable  night. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

AROUND    THE    LAKE    OF   GALILEE THE    PLAIN    OF    GEN- 

NESARET. 

We  began  our  first  full  day  of  observation  at 
the  Lake  of  Galilee  by  ascending  the  rise  of 
ground  back  of  Tiberias  for  a  general  view  of  its 
situation.  We  first  noted  the  fact,  frequently 
mentioned,  that  the  lake  lies  in  a  deep  basin  sur- 
rounded by  hills  of  medium  height,  between  which 
a  number  of  ravines  find  their  way  to  its  borders. 

On  the  east  side  two  such  clefts  in  the  high 
table-lands  are  noticed,  named  Wady  Fik  and 
Wadi/  SemaJch,  which  divide  the  coast-line  into 
three  similar  sections.  On  the  north  the  ascent 
of  ground  from  the  Jordan  westward  is  more 
gradual,  culminating  in  a  long  ridge  of  basaltic 
rock  connected  with  the  mountains  of  Safed,  and 
coming  out  in  a  bluff  overhanging  the  lake  at  the 
northwest  corner.  On  the  west  and  south  the 
banks  are  less  regular,  the  plain  of  Gennesaret 
having  but  a  few  feet  elevation  above  the  water- 
level,  while  two  bluffs  of  considerable  height  ap- 
pear, the  one  above  and  the  other  below  Tiberias. 

The  Jordan  flows  into  the  lake  at  the  north- 

(285) 


286 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


east  corner,  and  flows  out  again  at  the  extreme 
southern  end,  through  a  narrow,  tortuous  chan- 


nel. 


The  lake  is  12i  miles  in  length  and  61  in 


Sketch  Map  op  the  Sea  of  Galilee.    (Paleslme  Eorploraiion  Pimd.) 

width,  and  is  elliptical  or  "pear-shaped"  in  form. 
Some  writers  affirm  that  it  w^as  anciently  named 
Chinnereth* — the  "lake  of  the  harp" — from  its 
oval  shape ;  yet  others  think  that  a  town  of  this 

*  Numbers  34  : 1 1 ;  Joshua  12:3;  13  :  27. 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  287 

name  once  stood  upon  the  site  of  Tiberias,'-'  and  that 
its  title  was  changed  to  Gcnnesaret.  At  a  later 
period  the  name  Galilee — "circuit" — was  given 
to  it  in  connection  with  the  hill  country  west- 
ward, which  was  originally  allotted  to  the  tribe 
of  Naphtali ;  and  in  the  days  of  Herod  Antipas 
it  was  named  "  Sea  of  Tiberias,"  in  honor  of  the 
emperor  under  whom  Herod  reigned.  We  have 
reference  to  this  man  in  the  Gospel  history,  for 
he  is  the  Herod  who  was  rebuked  by  John  the 
Baptist  for  "  having  his  brother  Philip's  wife," 
for  which  plainness  of  speech  John  was  beheaded 
while  in  prison.f  Antipas  is  also  named  the  "  tet- 
rarch,"  i.  e.,  ruler  over  one-fourth  of  the  posses- 
sions of  his  father,  Herod  the  Great.  Philip's 
portion  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  includ- 
ing the  country  of  Bashan  as  far  northward  as 
Banias,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon. 

The  two  brothers  were  rivals,  and  each  founded 
a  city  in  his  own  dominions  bordering  upon  the 
lake.  Philip's  city  was  situated  on  the  fertile  plain 
Butiha,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  lake,  and 
was  named  Bethsaida  Julias,  and  was  within  sight 
of  its  greater  rival  here  at  Tiberias.  When  we 
were  on  our  way  to  the  "  Warm  Springs,"  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  south  of  our  camp,  we  saw  the 
ruins  of  this  once  splendid  city  of  Antipas  scat- 

*  Joshua  19  :  35.  f  Matthew  14  :  4-10. 


288  TENT  AXD  SADDLE  LIFE. 

tered  upon  the  plain  which  lies  between  the  high 
bludf  of  basaltic  rock  and  the  shore,  of  which  Jo- 
sephus  speaks  as  follows :  "  Herod  the  tetrarch, 
who  was  in  great  favor  with  Tiberius,  built  a  city 
of  the  same  name  at  the  Lake  of  Gennesaret. 
There  are  warm  baths  at  a  little  distance  from 
it,  in  a  village  named  Emmaus."  He  adds  that 
many  came  and  inhabited  this  city,  Galileans  and 
strangers,  some  by  constraint,  since  sepulchres 
were  to  be  taken  away  in  order  to  make  room  for 
the  city,  and  the  Jewish  law  made  such  inhabit- 
ants unclean  for  seven  days.*  Hence  their  reluc- 
tance to  dwell  here. 

In  another  place  Josephus  mentions  a  "house" 
built  here  by  Antipas  which  had  the  figures  of 
living  creatures  in  it ;  and  also  that  certain  Gal- 
ileans set  the  entire  palace  on  fire,  thinking  they 
should  get  a  great  deal  of  money  thereby,  be- 
cause they  saw  some  of  the  roofs  gilt  with  gold. 
This,  with  mention  of  royal  furniture,  candle- 
sticks of  Corinthian  brass,  royal  tables  and  great 
quantities  of  uncoined  silver,  gives  us  a  hint  of 
the  original  magnificence  of  the  city  standing 
here  in  the  days  of  our  Saviour.  Probably 
Jesus  never  entered  within  the  city  proper. 
Though  he  must  have  often  sailed  along  its 
quays,  and  passed  behind  it  on  the  hill-top  when 

*  Antiquities,  xviii.  2,  §3. 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  289 

on  his  preaching  tours  in  Galilee,  yet  we  do  not 
know  that  he  ever  actually  entered  within  its 
walls.  His  spirit  was  more  in  harmony  with  the 
works  of  God  in  nature  than  with  the  bustle  and 
din  of  a  city  whose  inhabitants  lived  for  mere 
sensual  gratification  and  temporal  gain.  More- 
over, Antipas  had  slain  the  Baptist,  and  his  craft 
was  compared  to  that  of  an  old  fox,*  so  that  it 
was  a  matter  of  prudence  for  the  Prophet  of  Naz- 
areth to  keep  away  from  his  haunts. 

We  found  the  traces  of  walls  and  foundations 
of  buildings,  columns,  standing  or  prostrate,  bas- 
tions or  towers  of  masonry  at  the  water's  edge, 
indicating  the  extent  of  the  ancient  city  south- 
ward beyond  modern  Tiberias.  Near  the  centre 
of  the  plain  we  came  upon  a  mass  of  ruins  which 
marked  the  site  of  some  great  structure,  and 
amid  the  blackened  fragments  of  dressed  stones 
we  found  three  large  columns  of  granite  or  syen- 
ite, of  a  reddish  color,  sixteen  feet  in  length  and 
two  feet  in  diameter.  Evidently  there  were  at 
one  time  either  buildings  or  colonnades  erected 
at  this  point,  to  which  these  columns  belonged. 
In  the  cliffs  behind  were  grottoes  made  or  en- 
larged by  human  labor,  and  on  all  sides  were 
traces  of  former  occupation,  wealth  and  skill. 
The  ruins  extend  nearly  to  the  Warm  Springs, 

*Luke  13:32. 
19 


290  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

thus  indicating  that  the  ancient  city  was  at  least 
one  mile  in  length,  and  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  in  width.  It  is  left  to  the  imagination  to 
reconstruct  the  famous  "  golden  house,"  the  sta- 
dium and  forum,  and  the  mint  where  the  un- 
coined silver  was  stored.  Evidently  Antipas 
had  the  city  constructed  on  the  plan  generally 
used  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  was  not 
backward  in  adopting  their  pastimes  and  luxuries 
in  his  court. 

The  morning  was  well  advanced  when  two  of 
us  reached  the  "  Springs,"  where  the  fashionable 
people  in  the  days  of  Antipas  came  to  bathe,  and 
where  a  suburb  named  Emmaus  was  then  located. 
At  this  point  the  bluff  approaches  the  shore,  thus 
terminating  the  plain  already  described.  Here 
we  noted  four  springs  in  a  sort  of  rambling 
group — there  are  seven  altogether,  it  is  said — is- 
suing from  the  base  of  the  basaltic  rock  some 
fifty  feet  back,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  higher 
than  the  margin  of  the  lake.  The  first  spring 
afforded  a  strong  current,  which  ran  in  a 
rivulet  to  the  shore,  and  was  not  utilized  in  any 
way.  The  next  spring  was  strongly  impregnated 
with  sulphur,  and  was  conducted  into  a  square 
building  of  masonry  capped  with  a  broad  dome. 
This  is  the  structure  usually  presented  in  the 
foreground   of   pictures   and    engravings   of  the 


AROUND   THE  LAKE  OF  GAL/LEE.  291 

"  sacred  lake,"  taken  from  this  standpoint.  We 
entered  the  building,  and  found  a  round  pool,  once 
used  for  bathing  purposes,  but  now  out  of  repair. 
The  atmosphere  was  almost  stifling,  and  the 
water  so  hot  that  we  could  scarcely  bear  the 
hand  in  it.  We  next  entered  another  and  much 
larger  building  near  by,  where  was  a  square  tank, 
built  of  dressed  stone  and  lined  with  marble,  also 
filled  with  the  hot  mineral  water,  emitting  a  pun- 
gent vapor  of  gases  which  rendered  the  breathing 
of  the  visitor  labored  and  difficult.  The  people 
of  Tiberias  frequent  this  bath  as  an  antidote  for 
rheumatic  and  other  complaints.  The  temper- 
ature of  the  water  is  at  present  from  132  to  144 
degrees  Fahrenheit.  After  the  earthquake  of  1837 
the  springs  became  very  copious,  and  the  heat  and 
sulphurous  odors  were  also  largely  increased. 

On  our  way  from  camp  we  had  noticed  that  a 
couple  of  suspicious-looking  characters,  who  had 
evidently  been  w^aiting  at  a  little  khan  near  the 
springs  for  our  return,  were  following  us  in  a 
stealthy  manner.  They  now  boldly  confronted 
us,  fiercely  demanding  backshish.  We  hastened 
past  their  rendezvous,  where  several  armed  Bed- 
ouin were  breakfasting  around  a  smouldering 
camp-fire.  The  clamor  of  our  two  assailants 
aroused  the  whole  clan,  and  they  started  up  as 
if  to  join  in  the  pursuit ;   but  as  we  were  walk- 


292  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

ing  briskly,  and  as  our  camp  was  not  far  distant, 
they  were  left  in  the  lurch,  and  doggedly  retraced 
their  steps,  evidently  disappointed  and  angry  that 
their  prey  had  escaped.  As  we  went  hastily  for- 
ward, we  noted  the  effects  of  the  earthquake  on 
every  hand.  The  surface  of  the  plain  was  broken 
and  furrowed,  as  if  a  gigantic  plough  had  been 
driven  thiough  it,  or  as  if  thunderbolts  had 
fallen  upon  it,  scattering  the  walls  and  build- 
ings in  all  directions. 

We  did  not  visit  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  five 
and  a  half  miles  distant  from  Tiberias,  where  the 
ancient  city  of  Tarichese  once  stood,  now  named 
KeraJc.  Its  situation  Mr.  Macgregor  describes 
as  admirable  for  defence.  "  It  was  built  on  a 
triangular  mound,  about  fifty  feet  high  and  four 
hundred  yards  in  length,  which  was  made  into 
an  island  by  the  water  led  around  it.  The  Jor- 
dan forms  a  fosse  on  one  side,  while  the  lake 
guards  another,  and  an  artificial  lagoon  is  toward 
the  mainland.  The  remains  of  a  causeway  west- 
ward from  the  mound  show  how  it  was  approached 
when  insulated.  The  desolate  mound,  so  silent 
now,  was  once  a  great  city,  teeming  with  people 
and  sounding  with  the  shouts  of  the  brave  and 
the  din  of  battering-rams."*  This  was  the  un- 
happy town  and  fortress  taken  by  Titus,  aided 

*  Roh  Roy,  p.  402. 


AROUND   THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  293 

by  a  small  fleet,  when  the  whole  lake  was 
colored  with  blood,  and  six  thousand  five  hun- 
dred corpses  were  left  upon  its  shores,  while 
thirty  thousand  still  more  unfortunate  Jews  were 
taken  captive  and  sold  in  the  market-place  of 
Corinth.  From  this  point  the  Jordan  continues 
its  rushing  course  to  the  Dead  Sea,  some  sixty 
miles  distant  in  a  straight  line ;  but  on  account 
of  the  windings  of  the  stream,  some  two  hundred 
miles  are  actually  traversed. 

"And  far  below  Gennesaret's  main 

Spreads  many  a  mile  of  liquid  plain 
(Though  all  seem  gathered  in  one  eager  bound), 

Then  narrowing  cleaves  yon  palmy  lea, 

Towards  that  deep  sulphureous  sea 
Where  five  proud  cities  lie,  by  one  dire  sentence  drowned."  * 

Upon  breaking  camp  near  Tiberias  we  entered 
the  town  again,  and,  passing  through  the  Jewish 
quarter,  were  reminded  of  the  fact  that  the  ref- 
ugees slowly  gathered  to  this  point  when  the 
Romans  finally  overthrew  their  holy  city  and 
temple  at  Jerusalem.  Here,  about  180  a.d.,  the 
holy  rabbi  made  the  famous  collection  of  Jewish 
laws  and  traditions  known  as  the  Mishna,  as 
mentioned  before.  And  among  the  numerous 
tombs  in  the  vicinity,  near  which  we  may  have 
passed  in  our  rambles,  one  contains  the  remains 
of  the  great  Maimonides. 

*Keble's  "  Christian  Year." 


294  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

Arriving  at  the  north  wall,  with  the  shattered 
tower  at  the  end  farthest  inland,  we  followed  its 
side  to  the  water's  edge,  where  our  guide,  at  our 
earnest  solicitation,  had  ordered  the  fishermen's 
boat  to  take  us  to  Magdala.  Huge  blocks  of 
stone,  fallen  from  the  walls,  lay  in  the  water, 
scattered  about  in  such  a  way  as  to  prevent  the 
boat  from  getting  within  a  rod  of  the  shore.  The 
brawny  fishermen  stood  in  the  water  ready  to  do 
the  honors  of  the  occasion.  Their  single  gar- 
ment— something  like  a  smock-frock,  made  of 
coarse  cotton — did  not  reach  much  below  the 
waist,  hence  they  were  in  no  way  inconven- 
ienced by  the  flapping  waves  about  them.  They 
grimly  seized  upon  us,  and  between  two  raised  us 
in  their  arms,  and,  bearing  us  outward,  pitched  us 
into  the  craft  rather  unceremoniously.  When  all 
were  safely  on  board,  four  of  them  leaped  in  after 
us,  and  allowed  the  boat  to  drift  out  into  deep 
water.  They  leisurely  adjusted  the  great  clumsy 
oars,  and,  slowly  drawing  the  prow  around  toward 
the  northwest,  proceeded  at  a  snail's  pace  to  the 
place  of  destination. 

As  this  was  the  only  boat  we  saw  while  around 
the  lake,  we  gave  it  a  careful  inspection.  It  was 
about  twenty  feet  in  length  by  about  five  feet 
beam,  and  was  propelled  by  three  oars,  the  last 
oarsman  acting  as  steersman,  for  there  was  no 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  295 

rudder.  Macgregor,  who  is  himself  a  sailor, 
says  of  his  visit  here  in  1869,  "The  boats  now 
used  in  the  Lake  of  Galilee  are  all  about  the 
same  size,  rowing  five  oars,  but  very  clumsy 
ones,  and  with  a  very  slow  stroke.  Generally 
only  three  oars  were  in  use.  Their  build  is  not 
on  bad  lines,  and  rather  '  ship-shape,'  with  a  flat 
floor;  likely  to  be  a  good  sea-boat,  sharp  and 
rising  at  both  ends.  The  upper  streak  of  the 
boat  is  covered  with  coarse  canvas,  which  adheres 
to  the  bitumen  and  keeps  it  from  sticking  to  the 
crew  when  they  lean  upon  it.  The  waist  is  deep, 
and  there  are  no  stern-sheets,  but  a  sort  of  stage 
aft."*  Probably  no  great  change  has  been  made 
in  the  structure  of  Galilean  boats  from  the  days 
of  the  disciples ;  and  the  part  here  called  a 
"stage"  may  be  where  Christ  was  asleep  upon 
the  pillow  or  boat-cushion.-|-  These  boats  are 
sometimes  driven  by  a  sail,  but  more  frequently 
propelled  by  the  oar,  and,  while  exceedingly 
clumsy,  are  strongly  built,  and  in  an  ordinary 
sea  quite  safe. 

The  distance  from  Tiberias  to  Magdala  is  three 
miles,  and  midway  between  the  two  points  a 
small  ravine  comes  down  from  the  hills  and  opens 
out  into  a  small  triangular  plain  at  the  lake  shore. 
As  our  boat  crept  lazily  around  the  curve  of  the 

*  Rob  Roy,  p.  348.  t  Mark  4  :  38. 


296  TEXT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

little  bay  at  this  point,  we  noticed  that  a  number 
of  fig  and  nubk  trees,  oleanders  and  other  shrubs 
grew  in  clumps  near  the  water's  edge.  There 
were  two  round  stone  reservoirs  which  are  said 
to  be  built  around  the  three  fountains  named  'Ain 
Bdrideh  ("cold  spring"),  formerly  used  for  mill 
purposes. 

The  main  road  from  Mount  Tabor  to  Damascus 
comes  down  this  wady  and  then  follows  the  shore 
to  the  north  side  of  the  plain  of  Gennesaret.  Tra- 
dition at  present  points  out  a  spot  in  this  vicinity 
where  the  multitudes  were  fed  by  the  miracle  of 
the  loaves  and  fishes.  As  two  separate  miracles 
of  this  kind  are  mentioned  by  the  evangelists, 
one  of  them  may  have  occurred  on  the  west  shore 
at  or  near  this  point,  though  Dr.  Thomson  and 
others  prefer  to  locate  both  on  the  eastern  coast. 
Here  indeed  would  be  plenty  of  grass  where  the 
people  could  sit  down  in  ranks  by  hundreds  and  by 
fifties ;  and  by  this  route  a  great  company  might 
be  on  their  way  to  keep  the  feast  of  the  Passover 
at  Jerusalem.*  There  is  an  early  tradition  of  the 
second  and  also  of  the  seventh  century,  given  by 
Arculf,  that  'Ain  Bdrideh  was  the  scene  of  the 
miracle,  where  also  the  five  thousand  "  drank  after 
they  had  eaten  their  fill."  The  Sinaitic  version 
of  Luke  9  :  10  and  John  6  :  22,  23  places  the  old 

*  John  6  :  4,  5. 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  297 

tradition  in  a  more  probable  light,  for  in  the  former 
there  is  no  mention  of  Bethsaida,  and  in  the  latter 
it  is  said  that  the  place  was  close  to  Tiberias.* 

However  this  may  be,  it  seems  that  the  place 
named  Dalmanutha  in  the  New  Testament  must 
have  been  near  'Ain  Bdruleh.  In  Matthew  15  : 
39  it  is  said  that  Jesus  "  came  into  the  borders 
of  Magdala,"  while  in  Mark  8  :  10  we  read  that 
he  "  came  into  the  regions  of  Dalmanutha." 
From  this  we  may  conclude  that  Dalmanutha 
was  a  town  on  this  coast,  near  Magdala.  Canon 
Tristram  says  that  the -ruins  of  a  village  and  res- 
ervoirs here  probably  identifies  the  place  with 
the  Dalmanutha  of  the  New  Testament,-)'  The 
identification  of  the  long-lost  site  of  this  place  is 
a  matter  of  great  interest  both  to  the  traveller 
and  the  Bible  student. 

After  passing  'Ain  Bdrideh  we  skirted  the  high 
bluff  which  forms  the  southern  border  of  the  plain 
of  Gennesaret,  and  under  its  shadow  we  drew  to 
the  shore  and  disembarked  at  Magdala.  The 
place  is  now  called  Mej'del,  having  only  about 
eighty  inhabitants,  all  Moslems,  and  consists  of  a 
few  huts  built  of  stone  and  others  composed  of 
wattled  cane  and  rushes.  A  little  Mohannnedan 
mosque  or  wely,  with  a  whitened  dome,  only  in- 

*  Recovery  of  Jerusalem,  p.  280. 
t  Land  of  Israel,  p.  429. 


298  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

creases  the  forlorn  aspect  of  the  place.  This  is 
the  undisputed  site  of  ancient  Magdala,  once  the 
home  of  that  Mary  whose  history  is  so  touchingly 
recorded  in  the  New  Testament,* 

In  the  face  of  the  cliff  just  west  of  Magdala 
we  saw  the  famous  caverns  from  which,  as  Jose- 
phus  relates,"!*  Ilerod  dislodged  the  Galilean  ban- 
ditti by  lowering  large  boxes  from  the  summit, 
filled  with  soldiers,  who  pulled  out  the  desperate 
wretches  with  long  hook-shaped  weapons. 

At  Magdala  we  mounted  our  horses  again — the 
attendants  having  brought  them  along  the  shore 
from  Tiberias — and  began  to  cross  the  beautiful 
plain  of  Gennesaret.  We  were  now  approaching 
the  places  forever  consecrated  in  Christian  hearts 
by  the  life  and  teachings  of  our  Saviour.  The 
names  Magdala  and  Gennesaret  recalled  the 
matchless  stories  of  the  gospel,  and  seemed  to 
transport  us  to  the  scenes  of  early  gospel  history. 

The  plain  of  Gennesaret  is  crescent-shaped,  and 
is  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  western  side  of 
the  Lake  of  Galilee,  being  surrounded  on  three 
sides  with  high  table-land  and  bluffs,  and  having 
a  pretty  strip  of  beach  on  the  coast.  It  is  three 
miles  in  length  by  two  in  depth,  everywhere 
quite  level,  and   elevated  but  a  few  feet  above 

*  Luke  8  :  2. 

f  Antiquities^  xiv.  15,  ^  4. 


AROUND   THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE. 


299 


the  surface  of  the  lake.  Four  rivulets  wander 
over  its  face,  supplied  from  the  springs  and  ra- 
vines to  the  westward,  amid  a  tangled  growth  of 
thorny  papyrus,  wild  mustard  and  nubk  trees. 
In  crossing  I  noticed  only  one  little  field  of 
wheat,  and  another  of  barley,  unfenced,  and  un- 
promising in  appearance  because  of  the  lack  of 


Genhesaret,  from  Kuan  Minieh.     (Dom  a  Photograph 
taken /or  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund.) 

proper  attention.  What  a  contrast  in  appearance 
to  its  ancient  beauty  as  described  by  Josephus, 
who  says :  "Its  nature  is  wonderful  as  well  as 
its  beauty.  Its  soil  is  so  fruitful  that  all  sorts 
of  trees  can  grow  upon  it,  and  the  inhabitants, 
accordingly,  plant  all  sorts  of  trees  there :  for 
the  temperature  of  the  air  is  so  well  mixed  that 
it  agrees  very  well  with  those  several  sorts ;  par- 
ticularly walnuts,  which  require  the  coldest  air, 


300  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

flourish  there  in  vast  plenty.  One  may  call  this 
the  ambition  of  nature,  where  it  forces  those 
plants  which  are  naturally  enemies  to  one  an- 
other to  agree  together.  It  is  a  happy  conjunc- 
tion of  the  seasons,  as  if  every  one  laid  claim  to 
this  country ;  for  it  not  only  nourishes  different 
sorts  of  autumn  fruits  beyond  men's  ex})ectations, 
but  preserves  them  a  great  while.  It  supplies 
men  with  the  principal  fruits ;  with  grapes  and 
figs  continually  during  ten  months  in  the  year, 
and  the  rest  of  the  fruits  as  they  become  ripe, 
through  the  whole  year;  for,  besides  the  good 
temperature  of  the  air,  it  is  also  watered  from  a 
most  fertile  fountain.  The  people  of  the  country 
call  it  Capernaum.  Some  have  thought  it  a  vein 
of  the  Nile,  because  it  produces  the  fish  coracinus, 
as  well  as  that  lake  which  is  near  Alexandria." 

If  we  knew  where  this  fountain  is,  we  would 
be  able  to  identify  the  site  of  Capernaum,  where 
Jesus  dwelt  after  leaving  Nazareth.  Various 
views  prevail  on  this  subject;  some  writers  loca1> 
ing  it  at  the  middle  of  the  west  side  of  the  plain, 
where  an  ancient  reservoir  is  found,  known  as 
'Ain  Mndauwarah,  or  the  "round  fountain."  We 
crossed  the  tiny  stream  which  flows  down  to  the 
coast  from  this  source,  and  examined  the  sur- 
roundings, but  could  not  persuade  ourselves  that 
this  could  be  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  Caper- 


AROUND   THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE. 


301 


naum.  We  continued  across  the  plain,  stopping 
to  gather  shells  on  the  beach,  and  plucking  the 
great  oleander  flowers  which  fringed  the  whole 
coast,  until  we  came  to  ' Ain  ei-Tin,  "spring  of 
the  fig,"  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff  on  the  north  side, 
where  our  camp  was  pitched  for  the  night. 


Tent  Life. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

AROUND   THE    LAKE    OF   GALILEE BETHSAIDA    AND 

CAPERNAUM. 

From  our  camp  at  the  north  end  of  the  plain 
of  Gennesaret  we  entered  upon  one  of  the  most 
interesting  parts  of  our  tour  in  the  Holy  Land. 
We  were  near  the  spot  where  our  Lord  uttered 
many  of  his  matchless  sayings,  and  where  he  did 
many  of  his  "  mighty  works."  Though  no  shrines 
or  churches  are  erected  here  in  commemoration 
of  these  great  events,  and  though  the  exact  sites 
of  the  ancient  cities  which  once  stood  on  this 
shore  of  the  lake  are  unknown,  yet  the  general 
locality  is  well  known,  and  must  ever  be  regarded 
as  consecrated  ground. 

We  first  ascended  the  bluff  which  overhangs 
the  lake,  and  the  only  one  that  comes  quite  to 
the  shore  line  on  the  west  coast,  on  our  way 
northward  toward  Tell  Hum.  Making  a  little 
detour  westward,  we  came  to  an  old  ruin  named 
Khan  Minieh,  supposed  to  have  been  erected  near 
the  twelfth  century  for  the  use  of  travellers  on 
their  way  to  and  from  Damascus.  From  this 
point,  by  a  sharp  turn  eastward,  we  fell  into  a 

(302) 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  303 

bridle-path  running  along  the  blulT,  which  soon 
entered  into  a  deep  groove  cut  in  the  native  rock, 
evidently  used  in  former  times  as  a  conduit  or 
water-course.  Just  below  us  was  the  famous 
spring,  beside  which  stands  a  fig  tree,  from  which 
it  takes  its  name — 'Ain  et-Tin.  It  is  quite  a 
large  fountain,  though  much  smaller  than  Tahi- 
ghah,  on  the  other  side  of  the  cliff.  Its  waters 
flow  into  the  lake  only  a  few  rods  distant.  A 
large  mound  on  the  plain  near  by,  Dr.  Robinson 
conjectures  was  the  site  of  Capernaum ;  but  Cap- 
tain Wilson  excavated  it  and  found  no  signs  of 
antiquity  in  its  rude  walls  and  fragments  of 
coarse  pottery.* 

The  rock-groove  ran  quite  around  the  brow 
of  the  cliff.  The  groove  was  oval  in  shape,  about 
two  feet  wide,  and  narrowed  at  the  top, — the 
very  least-convenient  form  for  a  road,  and  the 
very  best  for  a  water-channel.  We  paused  under 
a  large  nubk  tree  on  the  summit  of  the  cliff,  from 
which  a  few  poor  women,  who  had  been  gather- 

*  Recovery  of  Jerusalem,  p.  273.  Dr.  Merrill,  who  was  here 
May  1,  1876,  writes:  "At  Khan  Minieh  is  a  swell  in  the  plain, 
in  which  peasants  are  digging,  and  at  a  depth  of  four  to  six  feet 
they  struck  a  finely-built  wall,  which  they  followed  to  a  depth 
of  twelve  feet.  I  do  not  know  that  they  reached  the  bottom. 
They  traced  this  wall  until  it  turned  an  angle,  and  for  some  dis- 
tance after  that.  ...  If  the  time  and  necessary  means  were  at 
my  disposal,  I  would  like  to  excavate  these  two  low  mounds." — 
Merrill's  East  of  Jordan,  p.  302.     And  we  add,  So  would  we. 


304  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

ing  fruit  similar  to  the  crab-apple,  hastily  de- 
parted. Their  abject  appearance  and  frightened 
look  spoke  volumes  as  to  their  hard  toil  and  pri- 
vation. As  we  could  not  speak  their  language, 
we  could  give  them  no  comfort  in  their  fears,  yet 
could  not  help  pitying  them,  and  wishing  for  them 
a  share  in  the  common  blessings  of  that  gospel 
which  their  Lord,  and  ours,  so  long  ago  preached 
in  this  vicinity. 

The  view  from  this  point  was  very  command- 
ing. The  whole  surface  of  the  lake  was  spread 
out  before  us,  the  water  deep  and  blue,  calm  and 
mirror-like,  reflecting  the  outlines  of  the  hills  on 
its  margin.  Behind  us  lay  the  plain  of  Gennes- 
aret,  the  two  peaks  of  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes 
peering  up  on  the  distant  horizon.  Below  the 
plain  was  Magdala,  and  farther  on  Tiberias,  and 
still  farther  the  dome  of  the  bath-house  at  the 
Warm  Springs.  On  the  eastern  side,  and  nearly 
opposite,  we  noticed  the  wady  Semakh,  or  Kersa, 
and  just  south  of  it  a  low  bluff,  steep  and  fur- 
rowed, the  supposed  site  where  the  herd  of  swine 
ran  into  the  sea  and  perished.  Before  us  was 
Tabighah,  with  its  ancient  stone  mill,  and  beyond 
it  the  cape  which  marks  the  site  of  Tell  Hum. 

We  resumed  our  journey  along  the  hillside, 
fronting  the  little  bay,  and  presently  turned  east- 
ward across   the   streams   which  flow  from  the 


iii!;,nii!'pii!!ii"!!i' 


(305) 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  307 

spring  and  turn  the  mill  just  mentioned.  We 
noted  a  number  of  ruined  arches  which  formerly 
spanned  the  mill-stream,  and  were  part  of  the 
aqueduct  which  once  conveyed  these  waters  by 
the  rock  channel  to  Gennesaret  for  irrigation. 
Several  fishermen's  tents  were  pitched  here,  built 
of  wattled  rushes  and  covered  with  black  camel's- 
hair  cloth.  The  nets  were  spread  out  on  the  long 
shore-grass,  in  preparation  for  the  following 
night's  occupation.  Several  little  enclosures  or 
"  fish-traps "  were  built  of  loose  stones,  in  shal- 
low water,  within  which  we  saw  a  number  of 
good-sized  fish  lying  with  their  dorsal  fins  out  of 
water. 

Every  feature  of  this  place  seemed  to  us  an 
indication  that  this  was  the  ancient  Bethsaida 
("fish-house")  so  often  mentioned  in  the  Gos- 
pels. The  warm  water  which  flows  in  such 
abundance  into  the  lake  from  the  heavy  springs 
above  must  in  ancient  times,  as  at  present,  have 
attracted  great  numbers  of  the  finny  tribe  from 
the  deep  water  to  this  little  bay.  Mr.  Mac- 
gregor,  when  at  this  place  in  his  canoe,  made  the 
following  observations:  "The  hot  springs  (86 J 
degrees),  flowing  in  here  over  these  rocks,  and  a 
little  farther  on  in  larger  volume  over  a  clean 
brown  sand,  warm  all  the  ambient  shallows  for  a 
hundred  feet  from  shore ;  and  as  much  vegetable 


308  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

matter  is  brought  down  by  the  springs,  and  prob- 
ably also  insects  which  have  fallen  in,  all  these 
dainties  are  half  cooked  when  they  enter  the 
lake.     Evidently  the  fish  agree  to  dine  on  these 


Fish  of  Galilee.    (After  Tristram.) 
1.  Chromis  Nilotica.    2.  Clarias  Macracanthus.    3.  Labeobarbus  Cania. 

hot  joints,  and  therefore,  in  a  large  semicircle, 
they  crowd  the  water  by  myriads  round  the 
warm  river-mouth.  Their  backs  are  above  the 
surface  as  they  bask  or  tumble  and  jostle  crowd- 
ed in  the  water.  They  gambol  and  splash,  and 
the  calm  sea,  fringed  by  a  reeking  cloud  of  vapor, 
has  beyond  this  belt  of  living  fish  a  long  row  of 
cormorants  feeding  on  the  half-boiled  fish,  as  the 
fish  have  fed  on  insects.  I  paddled  along  the 
curved  line  of  fishes'  backs  and  flashing  tails. 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  309 

Some  leaped  into  the  air,  others  struck  my  boat 
or  paddle.  Dense  shoals  moved  in  brigades  as 
if  by  concert  or  command."'''  This  visit  was 
made  in  the  month  of  January,  hence  the  un- 
usual quantity  of  fish  and  the  apparent  high  tem- 
perature of  the  spring  water.  The  fishing  trade 
is  no  longer  brisk  as  in  the  days  of  the  disciples, 
for  two  reasons.  First,  the  inhabitants  are  few, 
while  in  ancient  times  the  whole  district  around 
the  sea  was  densely  populated.  Josephus  states 
that  Galilee  was  overspread  with  towns  and  well- 
peopled  villages.  The  smallest  one  had  over  fif- 
teen hundred  inhabitants.  The  number  of  towns 
on  the  lake  shore,  and  the  constant  influx  of  trav- 
ellers between  the  east  and  west  and  between 
Damascus  and  Egypt,  made  the  demand  for  fish 
very  pressing.  The  second  reason  for  the  decline 
of  the  fishing  traffic  here  is  the  exorbitant  tax 
imposed  by  the  Turkish  government.  "Nom- 
inally, the  rent  the  fishers  pay  for  the  right  to 
fish  at  Bethsaida  is  five  hundred  dollars  per  an- 
num ;  but  the  rapacious  hands  of  the  revenue 
guard  carry  away  twenty,  forty,  even  sixty  per 
cent,  of  the  fisher's  hard-earned  gains." 

Mr.  Macgregor,  who  is  our  authority  for  this 
statement,  found  three  fishing-boats  in  and  about 
the  lake  in  1869 ;  but  travellers  who  have  been 

*  Rob  Roy,  p.  336. 


310  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

here  at  intervals  for  fifty  years,  like  the  writer, 
have  noticed  but  one. 

Leaving  Tabighah,  we  continued  on  our  course 
in  a  northeast  direction.  In  this  part  the  land 
slopes  back  from  the  shore  uniformly  and  gently 
to  the  higher  hills  extending  up  toward  Safed. 
After  a  ride  of  one  and  a  half  miles,  we  reached 


Ruins   at  Tell   Hum.     iFrom  a  Pholoyraph.     Palestine  Explora- 
tion Fmid.)     Prom  Schajff's  Dictionary,  by  permission. 

the  ruins  of  Tell  Hum,  where  we  dismounted  and 
spent  a  considerable  time  in  exploration.  The 
ruins  are  partly  basaltic  and  partly  limestone 
fragments,  once  dressed  and  fitted  into  structures 
of  no  common  order.  Long  grass  and  thistles 
were  already  springing  up  among  them  in  April, 
thus  showing  that  the  climate  is  warm  and  the 
soil  fertile.  A  little  cape  projects  into  the  lake 
at  this  point,  and  the  ruins  lie  about  one  hundred 
yards  from  the  water.     They  are  two  miles  dis- 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  311 

tant  from  the  entrance  of  the  Jordan  into  the 
lake,  and  thus  the  town  had  a  prominent,  as  well 
as  central,  position  on  the  northern  coast. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  ruins  seems  to  lie  in 
a  narrow  belt,  half  a  mile  in  length  by  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  breadth,  with  the  longer  axis  north 
and  south,  stretching  back  from  the  shore.  At 
the  farther  end  are  two  tombs,  built  of  limestone, 
of  fine  workmanship.  In  the  midst  of  these 
fallen  walls,  which  seem  to  be  mainly  the  frag- 
ments of  former  dwellings,  we  came  upon  what  is 
known  as  the  "White  Synagogue" — thus  named 
under  the  supposition  that  Tell  Hum  is  indeed 
the  long-lost  site  of  Capernaum,  and  this  the  syn- 
agogue in  which  Christ  preached  the  sermon  on 
the  "  bread  of  life,"  recorded  in  the  sixth  chapter 
of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John.  If  so,  the  structure 
may  represent  the  one  originally  built  by  the 
Roman  centurion.*  Here  we  noticed  the  found- 
ations of  the  outer  walls  in  situ,  level  wdth  the  sur- 
face, but  happily  left  bare  by  the  excavations  of  the 
Palestine  Exploration  Fund.  They  are  74  feet  9 
inches  by  56  feet  9  inches  in  dimensions.  A 
smaller  structure,  and  of  apparently  later  con- 
struction, joins  the  main  edifice  on  the  northeast 
corner ;   we  could  not  trace  its  complete  outline. 

We  counted  the  pedestals  of  some  thirty  col- 
*  Luke  7  :  4,  5. 


312  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

umns  in  the  synagogue,  the  shafts  of  which  lay 
broken  around  them.  Two  rows  of  these  col- 
umns once  ran  lengthwise,  dividing  the  edifice 
proportionately,  as  if  there  had  been  two  aisles 
at  the  side,  with  a  nave  in  the  centre.  The  front 
was  toward  the  south,  overlooking  the  lake  and 
commanding  a  charming  prospect,  reaching  to 
Tiberias  in  the  distance.  Here  lay  the  heavy 
lintel,  pierced  with  large  holes  at  either  end  for 
the  extended  framework  of  the  heavy  double 
doors  to  turn  in,  and  one  for  the  standard  in  the 
centre.  On  the  face  of  this  stone  beam  or  lintel 
three  figures  were  engraved, — somewhat  defaced, 
but  apparently  representing  a  pot  of  manna  and 
two  golden  candlesticks.  Not  far  from  the  en- 
trance a  flight  of  stone  steps,  much  worn,  was 
seen,  imbedded  in  the  earth,  the  use  of  which  we 
could  not  determine. 

Just  east  of  Tell  Hum  a  little  rivulet  makes 
its  way  into  the  lake,  on  the  banks  of  which,  one 
and  a  half  miles  to  the  north  in  a  direct  line,  lie 
the  supposed  ruins  of  Chorazin,  now  named  Ke- 
razeJi.  This  place  we  did  not  visit ;  but  the  ruins 
are  described  as  covering  an  area  equal  to,  if  not 
larger  than,  the  ruins  of  Capernaum,  and  are  sit- 
uated partly  in  a  shallow  valley,  partly  on  a 
rocky  spur  formed  by  a  sharp  bend  in  the  stream, 
here  a    wild    gorge    eighty   feet   deep.      From 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  313 

Kerazeh  there  is  a  beautiful  view  of  the  lake  to 
its  southern  end,  and  here  too  are  gathered  the 
most  interesting  ruins — a  synagogue,  with  Co- 
rinthian capitals,  niche  heads  and  other  orna- 
ments cut  in  the  hard  basaltic  rock.* 

Our  visit  inclined  us  to  favor  Tell  Hum  as  the 
site  of  ancient  Capernaum.  Though  great  au- 
thorities differ  from  this  view,  fixing  the  site  of 
this  city  where  Jesus  had  his  home  during  the 
three  years  of  his  ministry  elsewhere,  or  else 
leaving  the  whole  matter  an  open  question,  yet 
the  conclusion  seemed  to  us  irresistible.  Captain 
Wilson  affirms,  in  behalf  of  the  Exploration 
Fund,  that  the  ruins  here  are  of  a  synagogue 
similar  to  many  found  and  carefully  examined  in 
other  parts  of  the  country. 

At  the  corners  of  a  triangle,  therefore,  whose 
sides  measure  one  and  one-half  miles  each,  whose 
base  is  on  the  shore  line,  and  whose  apex  is  on 
the  hillside,  probably  lay  ancient  Chorazin,  Beth- 
saida  and  Capernaum. 

As  we  sat  upon  the  prostrate  columns  of  the 
synagogue  the  Saviour's  words  flashed  upon  us 
with  a  new  meaning — "  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin! 
woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaidji !  for  if  the  mighty 
works  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon  which 
have  been  done  in  you,  they  had  a  great  while 

*  Recovery  of  Jerusalem^  p.  270. 


314  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

ago  repented,  sitting  in  sackcloth  and  ashes. 
But  it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon 
at  the  judgment  than  for  you.  And  thou,  Caper- 
naum, which  art  exalted  to  heaven,  shalt  be 
thrust  down  to  hell." 

"  Bethsaida,  where  ? 

Chorazin,  where  art  thou? 
His  tent  the  wild  Arab  pitches  there, 

The  wild  reeds  shade  thy  brow. 
Tell  me,  ye  mouldering  fragments,  tell, 

Was  the  Saviour's  city  here? 
Lifted  to  heaven,  has  it  sunk  to  hell. 

With  none  to  shed  a  tear?" 

How  signally  has  that  prophecy  been  fulfilled  ! 
Where  was  once  a  tide  of  human  prosperity,  a 
city  of  fame  and  beauty  by  the  sea,  are  now  only 
fragments  of  rock,  covered  by  rank  weeds  and 
thistles. 

On  our  way  back  to  Tabighah  we  thought  of 
those  words  of  Isaiah  quoted  by  Saint  Matthew 
— "  The  land  of  Zabulon,  and  the  land  of  Neph- 
thalim,  by  the  way  of  the  sea  beyond  Jordan, 
Galilee  of  the  Gentiles."*  This  great  highway  of 
ancient  times,  running  from  Egypt  to  the  East, 
came  down  here  "  by  the  way  of  the  sea,"  and 
here  it  may  literally  be  said,  "  The  people  which 
sat  in  darkness  saw  great  light." f  Along  this 
"  way  "  Jesus  often  came  if,  indeed,  as  we  think, 

*  Matthew  4:15.  f  Ibid.  4:16. 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  315 

Tell  Hum  was  Capernaum  and  Tabighah  was 
Bethsaida.  The  latter  place  was  the  suburb  and 
port  of  Capernaum,  and  this  mile  and  a  half  was 
familiar  ground  to  the  disciples  and  their  divine 
Master.  Here  the  fishers  kept  their  boats  and 
nets  and  plied  their  craft,  while  on  some  occasions 
their  Lord  taught  the  people  from  the  ship.  To 
this  point  the  boat  would  return,  to  "his  own 
country,"  when  the  various  voyages  across  the 
lake  were  ended.  These  low  lands  are  calculated 
to  breed  fevers,  of  which  Peter's  wife's  mother 
lay  sick,  and  of  which  she  was  cured  by  a  touch 
of  the  great  Physician.  Yonder  hillside  would 
afford  the  natural  features  for  the  parable  of  the 
sower,  where  the  ledge  of  rock  covered  with  a 
thin  coating  of  soil,  in  which  the  seed  would 
have  no  depth  of  earth,  and  soon  wither  away, 
illustrates  the  failure  of  a  transient  faith.  Below 
the  rock  is  the  good  ground  where  the  good  seed 
would  bring  forth  some  thirty,  some  sixty  and 
some  an  hundred  fold;  and  above  the  unfenced 
field  are  the  numerous  birds,  ready  to  catch  away 
the  exposed  seed,  and  thus  disappoint  the  farmer. 
Nor  are  the  rank  thistles  and  thorns  lacking  near 
the  shore,  ready  to  choke  the  growing  grain  and 
render  it  unfruitful. 

Here  also  would  be  the  natural  place  for  a  tax- 
gatherer,  like  Matthew,  sitting  at  the  receipt  of 


316  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

custom,  collecting  for  the  Roman  government. 
This  fountain  at  Tabighah  might  very  well  be 
that  named  Capernaum  by  Josephus,  since  it  is 
located  in  this  suburb  of  that  city,  and  would 
naturally  be  mentioned  by  him  in  connection 
with  Gennesaret,  since  the  aqueduct  at  that  time 
conducted  its  waters  into  that  plain  for  purposes 
of  irrigation.  The  walls  of  the  ancient  reservoir 
are  still  to  be  seen  just  above  the  mill,  from 
which  point  the  aqueduct  extended.  The  cora- 
cinus  (catfish)  is  found  in  the  stream  all  through 
the  winter  season. 

Passing  along  the  rock  channel  over  the  bluff, 
it  occurred  to  us  that  the  channel  was  probably 
covered  over  in  ancient  times,  thus  affording  a 
roadway  on  its  surface.  The  road  which  we  fol- 
lowed from  Solomon  s  Pools  to  Bethlehem  was 
constructed  precisely  in  this  manner,  and  we 
there  heard  the  water  gurgling  beneath  the  flag- 
stones upon  w^hich  our  horses  walked.  If  this 
conjecture  be  correct,  Jesus  must  have  often 
passed  here  on  his  way  to  and  from  the  plain  and 
the  hill  country  of  Galilee. 

Our  last  evening  in  camp  at  'Ain  et-Tin  was 
delightfully  tranquil.  The  waters  of  the  lake 
lay  spread  out  before  us  in  charming  repose. 
The  rays  of  the  setting  sun  lighted  up  the  east- 
ern shore  with  a  soft  radiance  as  the  shadows  fell 


AROUND  THE  LAKE  OF  GALILEE.  317 

around  us  on  Gennesaret.  Gathering  at  the  door 
of  the  tent,  we  sang  a  number  of  our  Sunday.- 
school  hymns,  during  which  the  following  lines 
of  Dr.  Morris  came  up  in  recollection : 

"  Each  cooing  dove  and  sighing  bough, 
That  makes  the  eve  so  blest  to  ine, 
Has  something  far  diviner  now  : 
It  bears  me  back  to  Galilee. 

"  Each  flow'ry  glen  and  mossy  dell, 
Where  happy  birds  in  song  agree, 
Through  sunny  morn  the  praises  tell 
Of  sights  and  sounds  in  Galilee. 

"  And  when  I  read  the  thrilling  lore 
Of  him  who  walked  upon  the  sea, 
I  long,  oh  how  I  long  once  more 
To  follow  him  in  Galilee. 

"  0  Galilee  I  sweet  Galilee  ! 
Where  Jesus  loved  so  much  to  be ; 
0  Galilee  !  blue  Galilee  ! 
Come  sing  thy  song  again  to  me  1" 

The  old  rabbins  had  a  saying,  "  I  have  created 
seven  seas,  saith  the  Lord,  but  out  of  them  all  I 
have  chosen  none  but  the  sea  of  Gennesaret." 
If  this  sheet  of  water  was  thus  honored  by  the 
Jews,  it  should  be  thrice  precious  to  Christian 
hearts,  for  on  its  shores  the  great  Founder  of 
Christianity  not  only  had  his  earthly  home,  but 
it  was  here  that  he  called  together  his  disciples 
and  organized  his  Church.    This  is  the  birthplf^ce 


318  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

of  Christianity.  In  the  hearts  of  the  humble 
fishermen  and  the  poor  women  who  dwelt  here, 
to  whom  his  true  character  was  first  revealed,  he 
founded  his  gospel  kingdom,  and  from  hence  it  is 
spreading  over  the  whole  earth.  Hence  our  last- 
ing interest  in  this  place. 

"  How  pleasant  to  me  thy  deep  blue  wave, 
0  Sea  of  Galilee  ! 
For  the  glorious  One  who  came  to  save 
Hath  often  stood  by  thee. 

"  Graceful  around  thee  the  mountains  meet, 
Thou  calm  reposing  sea  ; 
But  ah  !  far  more,  the  beautiful  feet 
Of  Jesus  walked  o'er  thee. 

"  0  Saviour  !  gone  to  God's  right  hand, 
Yet  the  same  Saviour  still, 
Graved  on  thy  heart  is  this  lovely  strand, 
And  every  fragrant  hill." — M'^Cheyne. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HULEH. 

The  morning  of  our  departure  from  the  plain 
of  Gennesaret  was  bright  and  beautiful.  Our 
tents  formed  a  group  of  white  mounds  near  the 
pretty  little  beach  along  the  lake  shore,  having 
the  dark  basaltic  bluff  above  'Ain  et-Tin  for  a 
background.  Clumps  of  cane,  nubk  trees  and 
blooming  oleanders  were  scattered  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  plain  in  wild  and  luxuriant  growth, 
with  here  and  there  open  glades  between,  in  one 
of  which  our  camp  was  situated. 

Across  the  lake,  from  whence  we  had  watched 
the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  fade  away  the  eve- 
ning before,  we  now  saw  the  spreading  beams  of 
the  sunrise  gilding  the  sides  of  the  sombre  hills, 
and  peering  over  into  the  tranquil  water  below. 
Flocks  of  white  pelicans,  gray  king-fishers  and 
turtle-doves  of  varied  plumage  whirled  past  us 
on  their  way  from  Wady  Hamam  ("ravine  of 
pigeons"),  which  bounds  the  plain  on  the  south 
near  Arbela  and  Hattin,  to  the  fish  shoals  and 
cane-brake  at  Tabighah  in  quest  of  an  early 
breakfast. 

(319) 


320  TEXT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

Taking  the  hint  from  these  provident  birds, 
and  with  an  eye  to  the  coining  labors  of  the  day, 
we  entered  the  dining  tent,  and  perched  upon 
camp-stools  around  the  table  discussed  the  merits 
of  the  lake  fish,  which  our  cook  had  thoughtfully 
provided  as  the  principal  dish  of  our  meal.  We 
found  the  fish  palatable,  but  the  grain  seemed 
rather  coarse  and  the  flavor  rather  negative. 
Canon  Tristram  has  an  interesting  remark  regard- 
ing the  lake  fish,  affirming  that  of  the  ten  species 
obtained  by  him  here  all  were  African  or  of  a 
tropical  genus  which  has  never  been  found  farther 
north  than  the  Jordan  and  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  Upon 
which  he  puts  this  significant  question,  "  Do  not 
these  most  interesting  and  unexpected  discover- 
ies point  to  some  ancient  geological  epoch,  when 
the  long  chain  of  fresh-water  lakes  extended 
from  Hermon  to  the  Zambesi,  and  the  Jordan 
was  an  African  river  flowing  into  the  Dead  Sea, 
then  a  lake  connected  with  the  African  lakes  by 
the  Red  Sea,  also  a  lake  ?"*  This  startling  theory 
is  more  than  matched  by  a  French  savant,  M. 
Lortet,  who  claims  to  have  found  forty-two  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  fish  in  the  lake,  and  who  thinks 
that  at  one  time  the  salinity  of  these  waters 
equalled  that  of  the  Dead  Sea.  It  has  been  sug- 
gested by  some  of  M.  Lortet's  countrymen,  who 

*  Land  of  Israel,  p.  5S0. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HULEH.  321 

are  getting  famous  in  feats  of  engineering,  that  a 
canal  could  be  cut  from  Haifa  to  Zerin,  across  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon,  by  which  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan  could  be  filled  with  water,  and  the  surface 
of  this  lake  raised  over  600  feet,  while  1300  feet 
would  be  added  to  the  depth  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
causing  the  water  to  flow  through  the  Arabah  to 
the  Elanitic  Gulf  What  advantage  would  follow 
from  this  we  cannot  foresee ;  but  all  lovers  of 
biblical  sites  would  regret  to  hear  that  Jericho 
and  Gennesaret  had  been  submerged  in  order  to 
bring  the  surface  of  these  waters  up  to  the  sea 
level. 

Having  dispatched  the  fish  breakfast  and  these 
associated  water  theories,  we  prepared  ourselves 
for  the  forenoon  ride  to  the  valley  of  the  Huleh. 
Our  route  led  us  past  Khan  Minieh,  up  the  steep 
hillside,  along  a  tortuous  path  bordered  by  loose 
basaltic  rocks.  An  hour's  travel  brought  us 
abreast  a  huge  mass  of  scoria  crowning  a  slight 
elevation,  in  appearance  like  the  crater  of  an  ex- 
tinct volcano.  From  this  elevation  the  high  ridge 
of  black  rock  runs  down  directly  to  the  lake  at 
'Ain  et-Tin,  and  seems  to  have  been  formed  by 
volcanic  agency  at  this  point  in  some  remote 
geological  age.  As  we  continued  our  course  in  a 
northwesterly  direction,  we  passed  through  a 
region  of  high  table-land,  the  surface  of  which 

21 


322  TENT  AND  SWADDLE  LIFE. 

was  literally  covered  with  huge  fragments  of  the 
biisaltic  stone,  amid  which  our  horses  found  great 
difliculty  in  getting  a*  firm  foothold.  Having 
arrived  at  the  summit  at  about  nine  o'clock,  our 
guide  ordered  a  halt,  ;ind  turning  in  his  saddle 
bade  us  take  our  parting  view  of  the  Lake  of 
Galilee. 

We  were  now  in  the  neighborhood  of  Safed, 
and  were  favored  with  a  prospect  for  which  this 
"  city  set  upon  a  hill "  must  ever  be  famous.  Far 
away  to  the  south  we  traced  the  route  by  which 
we  had  approached  the  sacred  lake,  indicated  by 
the  well-defined  outlines  of  Tabor  and  the  Horns 
of  Hattin.  And  just  below  us,  but  sunk  in  its 
deep  basin,  its  surface  burnished  by  the  sun's 
rays  till  it  looked  like  a  mirror  of  molten  metal, 
was  the  remarkable  sheet  of  water  on  whose 
shores  we  had  been  delighted  to  tarry  for  the  past 
few  days.  We  could  dimly  discern  the  city  of  Ti- 
berias, the  cliff  of  Arbela,  and  on  the  farther  side 
the  cliffs  bordering  wadies  Fik  and  Semakh. 

Soon  after  leaving  this  point,  from  whence  the 
little  streams  which  flow  past  Tabighah  and  Tell 
Hum  take  their  rise,  and  which  cannot  be  far 
distant  from  the  ruins  now  affirmed  to  be  Chora- 
zin,  we  came  to  Khan  Yusef.  Here  we  found 
the  ruins  of  a  large  stone  structure,  built  in  the 
form  of  a  parallelogram,  or  hollow  square,  with  a 


THE   VALLEY  OF  THE  HULEH.  323 

tower  at  one  corner  and  a  gateway  on  the  north 
side.  We  rode  through  the  ancient  and  lofty 
portal,  and  found  ourselves  within  a  spacious 
court,  around  which  were  the  alcoves  or  rooms 
originally  arranged  for  the  accommodation  of 
travellers.  It  would  require  but  a  slight  expense 
to  refit  this  khnn  for  its  intended  use,  as  the  walls 
are  yet  quite  perfect. 

The  structure  is  evidently  of  Mohammedan 
origin,  and  must  have  been  constructed  at 
a  comparatively  recent  period.  The  tradition 
which  fixes  the  name  also  affirms  that  Joseph 
lived  and  died  in  the  holy  city  of  Safed,  which 
is  in  the  centre  of  this  region.  Of  course,  the 
well  of  Dothan,  into  which  the  cruel  brethren 
cast  the  unsuspecting  Joseph,  is  pointed  out  near 
by,  though  all  Christian  authorities  fix  its  site 
south  of  Esdraelon.  The  "  Bridge  of  the  Daugh- 
ters of  Jacob,"  which  spans  the  Jordan  not  far 
from  this  place,  has  the  same  authority  for  its 
name,  viz.,  Mohammedan  tradition. 

The  fact  that  such  improbable  traditions  are 
attached  by  the  Mohammedans  to  all  the  historic 
sites  in  Palestine  is  significant.  The  religion  of 
nearly  all  the  country  people  is  Mohammedan, 
and  it  does  but  little  for  them  in  the  way  of  en- 
lightenment and  culture.  They  generally  hold, 
our  guide  informed  us,  that  Abram,  Jacob,  Moses 


324 


TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 


and  Jesus  were  of  like  faith  with  themselves. 
And  they  further  imagine  that  these  personages 
were  all  great  giants,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  in 
height,  and  physically  strong  in  proportion.  One 
week  later,  while  traversing  the  great  Lebanon 
valley,  we  came  upon  the  alleged  tomb  of  Noah, 


Lake  Huleh,  or  Watkrs  ok  Mi.rom,  from  tiik  Soutiiwkst.    {Fiom 
Schajf's  Dwliunwi  y,  by  pKnnissioii.) 

which  was  three  feet  wide  and  ninety  feet  in 
length,  from  which  we  inferred  that  Noah  must 
be  a  great  saint  in  the  Moslem  calendar. 

Beyond  Khan  Yusef  the  land  slopes  down  to- 
ward the  bed  of  the  upper  Jordan,  now  named 
the  valley  of  the  Huleh.    In  this  region  we  passed 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HULEH.  325 

over  several  plateaus,  evidently  covered  with  a 
fertile  soil,  part  of  which  was  under  cultivation. 
In  one  place  we  passed  a  group  of  farmers  at 
work,  and  were  reminded  of  the  history  of  Elisha. 
Twelve  yoke  of  oxen  were  following  each  other 
in  a  line,  each  drawing  a  separate  plough  of  the 


Yoke  in  Use  in  Palestine. 
a,  b,  timber  of  the  yoke  ;  c,  d,  the  bows;  e,  e,  pegs  between  which,  at  g,  the  end 
of  the  shaft  comes,  the  shaft  itself  having  been  run  through  the  rope  between 
/  and  the  cross-piece  of  wood  h,  i.     (From  Schaff's  Dictionary,  by  permission.) 

primitive  pattern  already  described  in  the  ac- 
count of  our  tour  to  Hebron.  From  the  Scrip- 
ture narrative  it  appears  that  Abel-Meholah,  the 
"  meadow  of  the  dance,"  where  Elisha  was  at 
work,  was  somewhere  in  the  Jordan  valley. 
Elijah  was  on  his  way  from  Sinai  to  Damascus, 
and  might  have  come  upon  Elisha  somewhere 
near  this  place.  Custom  changes  so  little  in  the 
lapse  of  centuries  in  this  strange  land  that  these 
ploughmen  may  be  the  literal  successors  of  Elisha. 
He  "  was  ploughing  with  twelve  yoke  of  oxen  be- 
fore him,  and  he  with  the  twelfth  :  and  Elijah 
passed  by  him,  and  cast  his  mantle  upon  him."* 

*  1  Kings  19  :  19. 


326  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

He  was  at  the  rear  of  the  line,  and  therefore  his 
parley  with  Elijah  would  not  hinder  the  other 
ploughmen  who  preceded  him  in  their  work.  We 
ii«>ain  noted  the  truth  of  the  statement  that  the 
farmers'  little  ploughs  make  no  proper  furrows,  but 
merely  "root  up"  the  soil  on  either  side,  and  so  any 
number  may  follow  one  another,  each  making  its 
own  scratch  along  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  when 
at  the  end  of  the  field  they  can  return  along  the 
same  line,  and  thus  back  and  forth  until  the  whole 
is  ploughed.  It  was  well,  therefore,  that  Elisha 
came  last,  for  the  ploughmen  cannot  pass  one  an- 
other, and  his  interview  with  Elijah  was  the  more 
private  and  did  not  stop  the  others  until  they 
reached  the  end  of  the  furrow.  During  our 
morning  ride  we  had  been  in  sight  of  the  waters 
of  Merom,  Lake  Iluleh,  a  body  of  water  not  un- 
like the  Lake  of  Galilee  in  shape,  but  of  less 
depth  and  smaller  dimensions. 

Midday  was  upon  us  when  we  entered  the  Jordan 
valley  once  more,  at  a  point  where  a  mill-stream 
flows  into  the  lake  at  its  northwest  extremity. 
The  sun  was  now  shining  "  in  his  strength,"  and 
our  thirsty  horses  pressed  into  the  water  at  the 
ford,  drinking  and  splashing  the  swift-flowing 
current  without  regard  to  the  convenience  of  the 
riders.  The  place  is  named  'Ain  el-Mellaha,  "  The 
Salt/'  or,  as  other  authorities  affirm,  "  spring  of 


THE   VALLEY  OF  THE  HULEH.  327 

the  king,"  in  allusion  to  Joshua's  victory  here 
over  Jabin.*  Our  guide  directed  us  to  the  scanty 
shade  of  a  terebinth  tree,  standing  well  up 
against  the  hillside  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
stream,  where  he  decided  that  we  should  have  a 
brief  rest  and  partake  of  luncheon. 

Our  resting-place  overlooked  the  ford,  and  was 
in  plain  sight  of  a  rude  mill  which  stood  above 
it,  with  its  simple  machinery  in  motion.  A  num- 
ber of  horses,  camels  and  donkeys  were  disport- 
ing themselves  in  the  running  water,  and  a  herd 
of  buffaloes  were  wallowing  in  the  deep  water 
farther  down,  where  a  sort  of  lagoon  is  formed 
by  the  not-distant  lake.  The  young  herdsmen 
were  sharing  the  luxury  of  a  bath  with  their 
cattle,  after  which  they  sheltered  themselves  be- 
neath a  clump  of  alders  on  the  bank,  and  regaled 
themselves  with  music  from  a  reed  flute,  evidently 
of  their  own  invention  and  manufacture. 

The  original  name  of  the  lake  was  the  Hebrew 
Merom,  or  "  High  Lake,"  but  in  the  days  of  the 
Crusades  it  was  known  by  the  present  title 
"Huleh,"  depression.  The  latter  title  probably 
applied  to  the  whole  valley  as  a  hollow  among 
the  hills,  while  Merom  indicates  the  lake  proper 
as  "  high  "  among  the  waters. 

Dean  Stanley  gives  the  dimensions  of  the  lake 

*  Joshua  11:5, 


328  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

as  about  seven  miles  long,  and  in  its  greatest 
width  six  miles  wide.  But  Mr.  Macgregor,  who 
explored  its  banks  in  his  canoe,  states  that  ac- 
cording to  his  observation  the  size  of  the  lake  is 
not  one-fourth  of  this  area.  A  late  writer  gives 
the  length  as  four  miles  and  the  breadth  three 
and  a  half,  having  a  depth  of  eleven  feet  in  win- 
ter, the  surface  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  sea. 
It  is  of  triangular  shape,  having  the  base  at  the 
north  end,  and  the  apex  at  the  outlet  on  the 
south.  On  its  western  shore  below  'Ain  Mellaha 
are  excellent  wheat  fields,  though  poorly  culti- 
vated, and  on  its  north  side  are  acres  of  marsh 
covered  with  Egyptian  papyrus. 

The  heat  was  very  intense  during  our  after- 
noon journey  northward  along  the  border  of  the 
great  marsh,  with  scarcely  a  breath  of  air  to 
relieve  the  sultry,  fever-laden  atmosphere.  On 
our  left  hand  ran  a  range  of  treeless  hills,  under  the 
shadow  of  which  we  crept  along,  seeking  there  a 
partial  shelter  from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun. 
Great  herds  of  buffaloes  wallowed  in  the  marsh, 
content  to  have  only  their  eyes  and  nostrils  exposed 
to  the  swarms  of  flies  and  mosquitoes.  I  counted 
seventy-five  in  one  herd,  and  we  were  scarcely 
out  of  sight  of  them  during  the  whole  afternoon.* 

*  St.  Willibald,  of  the  eighth  century,  writes  :  "  Armenta  mir- 
abilia  longo  dorso,  brevibus  cruribus,  magnis  cornibus  creati ; 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HULEH.  329 

At  intervals  we  came  upon  encampments  of  the 
Ghawarineh  people,  who  own  the  buffaloes,  and 
for  the  most  part  gain  their  subsistence  from  them. 
They  seldom  kill  them  for  food,  for  they  only  eat 
a  small  quantity  of  meat,  and  that  for  the  most 
part  mutton;  though,  if  a  buffalo  break  a  leg 
and  they  must  kill  it,  they  sometimes  eat  the 
flesh.  At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  the  people 
move  their  camps  back  to  Kades,  two  miles  dis- 
tant among  the  high  hills  to  the  westward.  This 
is  the  ancient  Kedesh,  in  the  tribe  of  Naphtali, 
originally  appointed  as  one  of  the  cities  of  refuge.* 
There  are  many  ruins  of  buildings  at  Kades, 
but  none  yet  discovered  are  of  great  importance. 
Our  guide  informed  us  that  the  people  pass  the 
winters  in  their  rush  tents  with  camel's-hair  cov- 
ering, subsisting  for  the  most  part  on  coarse 
bread,  milk  and  curds,  rice  and  other  simple 
articles  of  food,  obtained  usually  from  Safed  or 
Damascus. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  at  another 
stream  of  water,  flowing  into  the  marsh  on  its 
west  side,  named  'Ain  Belata,  where  we  pitched 
our  camp  for  the  night,  and  snatched  a  little  time 

omnes  sunt  unius  coloris,*'  /.  e.,  "  extraordinary  cattle,  furnished 
with  long  backs,  short  legs  and  great  horns  ;  all  are  of  one 
color." 

*  Joshua  20  :  7. 


330  TENT  AM)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

for  making  records  of  the  day's  observations.  At 
this  i)oint  tlie  range  of  hills  comes  boldly  out 
into  the  valley,  and  assumes  quite  a  majestic 
appearance.  The  plain  is  here  quite  narrow, 
being  hemmed  in  by  the  encroaching  marsh, 
covered  with  a  growth  of  papyrus  and  cane, 
through  which  the  tough-skinned  buffalo  even 
cannot  make  his  way.  In  this  narrow  plain  our 
tents  were  pitched  on  the  green  sward,  and  we 
prepared  for  a  good  night's  rest  beneath  their 
shelter. 

During  the  early  evening  there  was  a  strange 
rumbling  along  the  side  of  the  mountain  over- 
hanging us.  Puff's  of  heated  air  eddied  round 
the  camp,  and  might  have  been  taken  by  us  as 
warnings  of  the  approaching  sirocco  j  but  we 
were  weary  wnth  travel,  and  early  sought  our 
tent  beds  without  making  any  defence  against  the 
oncoming  tempest.  About  ten  o'clock  the  wind 
suddenly  increased  in  violence.  The  storm  came 
bellowing  along  the  mountain  side,  and  swooped 
down  upon  us  with  great  force.  Amid  the 
roaring  blast  cries  were  heard  for  help,  and  upon 
going  to  the  tent  door  we  found  our  good  neigh- 
bors and  fellow  travellers,  the  three  English 
clergymen,  without  a  shelter,  and  their  clothing 
and  valuables  scattered  about  amid  the  debris  of 
the  overturned  tent. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  HULEH.  331 

With  great  ado,  and  after  much  talk  and  blus- 
ter, our  twelve  camp  men  re-erected  the  fallen 
tent.  The  weary,  but  now  apprehensive,  travel- 
lers gathered  up  their  clothing  and  valuables  and 
returned  to  their  narrow  beds.  Just  then  a  ter- 
rific blast  came  down  the  mountain  side,  and  away 
went  our  tent,  cords,  centre-pole  and  all  the  ap- 
pliances, and  we  were  left  under  the  open  heavens, 
while  a  hot  blast  as  from  the  mouth  of  a  furnace 
swept  over  us.  Upon  lighting  one  of  the  camp 
lanterns  it  was  found  that  four  out  of  our  five 
tents  were  prostrate. 

Now  ensued  a  scene  of  aimless  effort  and  lin- 
guistic confusion.  Men  were  straining  at  tent- 
cords,  bracing  the  centre-poles,  driving  the  tent- 
pins  in  the  soft  ground,  while  the  wind  and  the 
gush  of  Arabic  speech  produced  a  perfect  Babel. 
During  a  lull  in  the  storm  we  once  more  entered 
the  re-erected  tent,  when  suddenly  the  wind 
charged  upon  us  with  renewed  violence.  I  felt 
the  tent  moving  again,  and  grasping  the  centre- 
pole  quickly  blew  out  the  candle,  and  was  flung 
directly  across  my  bed,  the  heavy  weight  of  the 
"pole"  crushing  it  to  the  ground.  It  was  one 
o'clock  A.M.  before  the  wind  died  away  sufficiently 
to  allow  us  to  lie  down  in  quietness,  and  it  was 
but  little  slee})  that  we  obtained  throughout  the 
whole  night. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


DAN      AND      BANIAS. 


The  morning  of  April  17  dawned  upon  our 
company  of  weary  pilgrims  in  the  valley  of  the 
Huleh.  Our  night's  experience  with  the  sirocco 
was  calculated  to  render  us  dissatisfied  with  the 
latest  phase  of  tent  and  saddle  life ;  but  each  one 
seemed  to  regard  the  matter  in  the  light  of  an 
adventure  common  to  this  mode  of  travel,  and  so 
good  humor  and  cheerfulness  reigned  supreme. 
The  various  aspects,  of  the  occurrence  were  joc- 
ularly canvassed  at  the  breakfast  table,  and  in 
good  season  we  were  all  prepared  for  the  journey 
of  another  day.  A  brief  description  of  the  no- 
madic life  which,  like  the  ancient  patriarchs,  we 
passed  in  the  "  promised  land  "  may  be  of  interest 
in  connection  with  what  has  just  been  narrated. 
Allusions  have  already  been  made  to  the  fact 
that  a  few  tourists  in  the  Holy  Land  have  to 
secure  the  services  of  a  large  number  of  servants 
and  horses,  in  order  to  pass  through  the  country 
with  safety  and  comfort.  In  our  case  there  were 
only  nine  travellers  on  the  long  tour  from  Jeru- 

(332) 


DAN  AND  HANI  AS.  333 

salem,  and  yet  we  required  twelve  men  and  thirty 
animals  to  transport  us. 

The  method  of  progress  was  as  follows :  When 
about  breaking  camp  in  the  morning  the  horses, 
mules  and  donkeys  were  supplied  with  beans  and 
barley  mixed  with  chaff.  This  was  placed  in  a 
sort  of  canvas  bucket,  known  as  the  "  nose-bag," 
the  bale  of  which  was  fastened  over  the  animal's 
head  back  of  the  ears.  While  the  process  of 
grooming,  harnessing  or  saddling  went  forward, 
the  animals  munched  this  dry  breakfast,  glancing 
wearily  meanwhile  at  the  busy  preparations  going 
forward  around  them,  their  eyes  just  visible  above 
the  rim  of  their  portable  mangers.  At  the  same 
time,  in  another  part  of  the  camp,  where  the 
kitchen  tent  was  pitched,  the  cook  was  preparing 
coffee  and  broiling  steaks  or  cutlets  over  a  tin 
range,  in  which  a  charcoal  fire  was  kindled ;  and 
at  still  another  point  two  men  were  taking  down 
the  sleeping-tents  and  rolling  them  up  in  large 
packages  ready  for  transportation.  While  the 
tourists  were  at  breakfast  the  camp  men  (who 
had  previously  eaten  at  the  kitchen  tent)  would 
load  the  tent-poles,  the  canvas,  the  huge  chests 
of  oranges  and  other  provisions  on  the  sumpter- 
mules ;  and  while  the  travellers  were  strapping 
their  water-proofs,  etc.,  and  getting  into  the  sad- 
dles, the  men  would  pull  down  the  kitchen  and 


334  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

dining-tents,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  be 
upon  the  road  en  route  to  the  next  station. 

Not  a  breath  of  air  was  stirring  as  we  slowly 
moved  up  the  valley  from  'Ain  Belata.  The  sun 
was  shining  intensely  bright,  and  the  buffaloes,  as 
usual,  were  lazily  immersing  themselves  in  the 
muddy  water  of  the  marsh.  The  rank  growth 
of  papyrus  still  continued,  with  no  visible  trace 
of  the  Jordan,  which  makes  its  way  somewhere 
through  the  dense  jungle.  Mr.  Macgregor  at- 
tempted to  force  a  passage  through  from  the 
north  with  his  canoe  Rob  Hoy,  in  1869,  but 
failed.  Upon  going  overland  to  'Ain  Mellaha  he 
launched  upon  Lake  Huleh,  and  explored  a  nar- 
row channel  upward,  for  some  three  miles,  to  a 
point  near  'Ain  Belata,  where  he  entered  a  little 
lake  half  a  mile  in  width,  quite  surrounded  by 
the  tall  green  papyrus  except  at  the  south, 
where  he  had  entered.  He  was  satisfied  that 
this  is  the  earliest  flow  of  Jordan  as  one  river 
after  it  dives  into  the  barrier,  which  he  describes 
as  a  dense  hedge  of  a  curious  floating  forest.  If 
it  were  desired,  an  open  water-way  could  be  made 
by  cutting  out  the  spongy  bed  of  fallen  cane  and 
living  fibre  for  a  half-mile  or  more,  when  the  Jordan 
would  be  traceable  from  its  source  to  its  mouth. 

During  the  morning's  ride  we  passed  the 
largest  village  of  rush  tents,  with  black  goat-hair- 


DAN  AND  BANIAS.  335 

cloth  covering,  we  had  yet  seen.  Naked  children 
were  playing  about  the  tent  doors,  one  of  which 
called  out  to  us  "  Good  morning  " — a  bit  of  Eng- 
lish he  kept  repeating  in  great  glee,  having  heard 
it,  no  doubt,  from  previous  tourists  who  had 
passed  that  way.  Near  by  a  young  woman  was 
pounding  wheat  with  a  mallet  on  a  large  boulder; 
and  we  also  saw  several  hand-mills,  consisting  of 


Women  grinding  at  the  Mill  in  the  East. 

the  upper  and  nether  stones  of  circular  form, 
with  their  flat  surfaces  in  contact,  in  the  former 
of  which  a  wooden  pin  was  inserted,  to  be  used 
as  a  handle  in  turning.  Two  women  usually  sit, 
one  on  either  side  of  the  apparatus,  the  one  turn- 
ing the  stone  half  way  around,  and  the  other 
then  grasping  the  handle*^  to  complete  the  revolu- 
tion. This  is  the  "mill"  often  mentioned  in*the 
Bible.* 

*  Ecclesiastes  12:4;  Matthew  24  :  41. 


33G  TKM'  AM)  SADDLE  LIFE. 

At  nine  o'clock  we  saw  the  supposed  site  of 
ancient  Ilazor,  "  enclosure  "  or  "  castle,"  the  pos- 
session of  King  Jabin  in  the  days  of  Joshua,* 
situated  on  a  rocky  eminence,  overlooking  Kades 
and  Lake  Hulch.  We  had  now  arrived  at  the 
northern  limit  of  the  great  marsh,  and,  turning 
eastward,  we  followed  the  line  of  a  crooked  con- 
duit, in  which  men  were  excavating,  and  from 
which  they  sought  to  irrigate  the  rice-fields  lying 
just  below.  We  soon  came  to  their  water  supply 
in  the  river  Hasbany.  This  stream  is  one  of  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan,  rising  in  a  fine  spring 
some  twenty  miles  to  the  northward,  from  which 
it  flows  down  to  this  point,  where  it  becomes  a 
mountain  torrent,  sweeping  over  its  bed  of  bould- 
ers, and  "  dashing  wild  and  free."  Its  banks  are 
lined  with  oleanders,  plane  trees  and  agnus-castus, 
under  the  foliage  of  which  it  hides  its  current  as 
it  speeds  on  toward  the  great  marsh  below.  We 
crossed  the  Hasbany  on  a  fine  old  bridge,  built 
of  stone,  with  three  massive  arches,  the  struct- 
ure having  an  inclined  roadway,  the  highest  part 
being  at  the  western  end. 

A  ride  of  three  miles  through  a  well-wooded 
country,  wdth  an  unduhxling  surface,  brought  us 
to  Tell  el  Kddi/,  the  ancient  site  of  Dan  or  Laish. 
The    modern   name    signifies    "  the    hill    of    the 

*  Joshua  11:1. 


DAN  AND  liANTAS.  337 

judge,"  and  "judge "  was  the  meaning  of  the 
word  "  Dan "  among  the  Israelites.  This  was 
the  northern  limit  of  the  possessions  given  to  the 
sons  of  Jacob,  as  Beersheba  was  the  boundary 
southward ;  hence  the  phrase  "  from  Dan  to 
Beersheba,"  intended  as  a  description  of  the 
whole  land.* 

The  tell,  or  mound,  is  of  very  singular  appear- 
ance. It  is  an  oblong  hill,  about  twenty-five  feet 
in  perpendicular  height,  and  is  three  hundred 
yards  from  north  to  south,  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  from  east  to  west.  On  its  western 
side  a  great  source  of  the  Jordan  sends  out  a 
copious  stream,  almost  a  full-grown  river  at  once, 
uniting  its  waters  with  those  of  another  stream 
at  the  southwest  side  of  the  hill.  A  wonderful 
fountain,  like  a  large  bubbling  basin,  is  here 
found.  Pausing  to  rest  beneath  the  shadow  of 
an  oak  or  terebinth  tree,  where  the  fluttering 
rags  on  the  branches  notified  us  of  the  prox- 
imity of  a  sheikh's  grave,  we  sat  down  for 
luncheon  beside  the  cool  purling  stream.  It  is 
an  enchanting  spot,  and  many  events  of  Old 
Testament  history  centre  there. 

From  the  earliest  times  settlers  must  have 
been  attracted  to  this  place.  Sheltered  under  the 
side  of  Mount  Hermon,  possessing  a  fountain  from 

*  Judges  20  :  1 ;  1  Samuel  3  :  20. 
22 


3'18  TEST  A  Xn  S.\  I) I) I F.   I JFE. 

whicli  the  drainage  of  all  this  part  of  the  mount- 
ain s('(Mn.s  to  find  its  exit,  and  having  a  fertile 
soil  all  around,  it  could  not  but  be  attractive  to 
emigrants.  Here  the  people  of  Laish  could  dwell 
at  ease,  secluded  from  the  world,  and  separated 
from  their  own  people  at  Sidon  by  the  Lebanon 
mountains.  The  people  of  Dan  afterward  came  up 
this  valley  on  an  exploring  expedition,  and,  dispos- 
sessing the  former  occupants,  seated  themselves  in 
this  territory  as  their  own.  Their  report  that  this 
was  a  "  large  land,"  "  very  good,"  "  a  place  where 
there  is  no  want  of  anything  that  is  in  the 
earth,"*  we  can  still  see  was  correct.  And  here 
on  this  mound,  beside  the  great  fountain,  they  set 
up  their  capital,  and,  as  they  were  far  removed 
from  Shiloh,  they  afterward  set  up  their  sanc- 
tuary here  also.  And  though  Samuel  may  have 
forbidden  the  continuance  of  this  irregular  wor- 
ship in  after  times,  yet  it  became  a  so-called 
"  sacred  place  "  when  Jeroboam  afterward  erected 
a  temple  here,  with  the  golden  calf.f  On  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  mound,  it  is  said,  the 
golden  calf  was  set  up ;  and  as  I  wandered  over 
this  section,  I  could  trace  the  remains  of  ancient 
walls,  as  of  former  fortifications  or  buildings. 
Just  below  the  hill  stood  an  old  mill,  now  out  of 
repair,  and  evidently  for  many  years  out  of  use. 

*  Judges  18  :  9,  10.  f  2  Chronicles  13  :  8. 


DAN  AND  BANT  AS.  339 

Floods  of  water  rush  past  its  idle  wheel,  and  yet 
it  moves  not — an  apt  illustration  of  the  lack  of 
industry  and  application  on  the  part  of  the  in- 
habitants of  this  favored  land.  There  are  many 
features  of  interest  about  Tell  el  Kady,  but  noth- 
ing to  excel  this  great  fountain.  It  is  said  to  be 
the  largest  spring  in  Syria,  and  is  perhaps  the 
largest  single  fountain  in  the  world.  The  stream 
is  called  by  Josephus  the  Lesser  Jordan,  is  twice  as 
large  as  the  fountain  at  Banias,  and  three  times  as 
large  as  the  Hasbany,  which,  though  the  most 
distant  source  of  the  Jordan,  is  scarcely  any- 
thing more  than  a  surfjxce-water  stream,  while 
this  is  a  massive  volume  of  water  springing  out 
of  the  earth  at  one  bound.* 

*  There  are  two  large  streams  at  Tell  el  Kddy.  The  largest 
spring  is  called  Mm  el  Ledddn,  and  is  the  one  referred  to  as 
bursting  forth  on  the  west  side  of  the  mound,  and  forming  a 
pool  around  which  are  heaped  blocks  of  basaltic  rocks.  A  co- 
pious stream  runs  from  this  spring  and  pool.  Another  stream 
issues  from  the  southwest  side  of  the  mound,  perhaps  from  the 
same  chief  source,  and  soon  unites  with  the  former  stream,  and 
the  two  form  the  el  Ledddn,  or  as  Josephus  called  it  the  Little 
Jordan.  The  stream  from  the  spring  alone  contains  twice  as 
much  water  as  the  stream  from  the  spring  at  Banias,  with  which 
it  does  not  unite  in  any  one  stream  however,  but  in  several. 
While  the  spring  at  Tell  el  Kddy  is  much  larger  than  the  spring 
at  Banias,  the  Banias  stream  receives  water  from  several  other 
springs,  so  that  the  two  streams  soon  after  leaving  their  sources 
seem  to  be  about  equal  in  volume.  As  the  Banias  stream  is 
longer  than  the  Ledddn,  it  is  usually  considered  the  source  of 
the  Jordan.     For  the  Hasbany  stream  is  scarcely  half  the  size 


340  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

As  we  were  reclining  under  the  oak  and  tere- 
binth, beside  the  ghissy  pool,  a  farmer  came  that 
way,  carrying  his  rude  plough,  made  of  two  sap- 
lings, with  a  wedge-shaped  iron  point  at  the  foot. 
He  was  a  worthy  successor  to  the  possessions  of 
ancient  "Dan."  His  swarthy  complexion,  dark 
eye  and  prying  conduct  reminded  us  of  what  was 
said  of  his  ancestor — "  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent  by 
the  way,  an  adder  in  the  path,  that  biteth  the  heels 
of  the  horse,  so  that  his  rider  shall  fall  back- 
ward ;"  or  again,  "  He  shall  leap  from  Bashan," 
i.  e.,  from  the  slopes  of  Hermon,  where  he  is 
couched  watching  for  his  prey. 

When  Mr.  Macgregor  was  attempting  to  pen- 
etrate the  marsh,  from  a  point  near  Tell  el  Kady, 
he  was  set  upon  by  the  natives,  and  pursued 
from  curve  to  curve  around  the  winding  banks  of 
the  Jordan,  and  at  last  was  fired  at  by  one  of 
these  worthies,  when  he  surrendered  himself, 
was  carried  canoe  and  all  to  a  hut,  and  kept  a 
prisoner  until  his  escort,  hearing  of  his  misfor- 
tune, came  to  his  rescue.  Our  own  experience 
afterward,  at  Banias,  confirmed  us  in  the  convic- 
tion that  the  modern  inhabitants  make  good  the 
description  of  the  Danites,  as  given  above. 

of  the  river  at  its  junction  with  the  Jordan.  See  Gender's  Tent 
Life,  Prof.  Socin,  and  Survey  of  Western  Palestine,  vol.  i.  pp. 
96,  \Qb.—Ed.  Am.  S.  S.  Union. 


DAN  AND  BANIAS. 


341 


An  hour's  ride  to  the  eastward,  by  a  path 
winding  through  clumps  of  oleander  and  scrub  oak, 
brought  us  to  the  town  formerly  named  Panias, 
now  Banias,  the  Csesarea  Philippi  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament. The  men  hastened  to  pitch  our  camp  in  a 
fine  grove  of  olive  trees,  about  one  hundred  yards 
distant  from  the  river's  bank,  and  the   singular 


Sources  of  the  Jordan,  near  Banias.    (After  Photographs  of  Frith  and  Good.) 

interest  of  the  place  led  us  immediately  to  follow 
the  stream  to  its  source,  in  the  great  fountain  a 
short  distance  above. 

Banias  stands  on  a  triangular  terrace,  which 
rises  some  five  hundred  feet  above  the  plain  be- 
neath, and  abuts  on  the  southwestern  spur  of 
Mount  Hermon.  Just  where  the  terrace  joins 
the  spur  of  the  mountain,  at  its  innermost  angle, 
is  a  cliff  of  white  and  pink  stone,  about  eighty 
feet  in  height,  having  carved  niches  in  its  ragged 


342  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

front — the  marks  of  an  ancient  occupation.  The 
fountains  stream  out  of  a  vast  pile  of  loose 
stones,  about  fifty  yards  distant  from  the  foot  of 
the  cliff,  and  immediately  unite  in  a  torrent  of 
limpid  water,  which  goes  rushing  and  roaring 
past  the  village,  under  the  ancient  arched  bridge, 
down  the  wady.  Were  it  not  for  its  greater 
rival  at  Tell  el  Kady,  this  fountain  would  be 
a  marvel  indeed.  The  scenery  all  around  this 
place  is  wild  and  mountainous,  and  the  ancient 
ruined  castle,  perched  on  the  height  one  thousand 
feet  above,  adds  not  a  little  to  the  picturesque- 
ness  and  beauty  of  the  scene.  The  modern  vil- 
lage is  situated  a  short  distance  from  the  fountain, 
and  is  only  a  poor  mountain  hamlet,  with  dwell- 
ings of  stone,  rudely  constructed,  not  very  invit- 
ing, nor  over  cleanly  in  appearance.  Here  we 
saw  round  huts  or  booths,  built  of  green  branches 
of  trees,  and  perched  upon  the  house-tops,  in 
which  the  inhabitants  sleep  in  summer  time,  in 
order  to  escape  the  fleas  with  which  their  houses 
are  infested,  or,  as  others  affirm,  to  escape  the 
serpents  and  scorpions  which  abound  here. 

It  was  our  misfortune  to  have  a  difficulty  with 
these  troublesome  people,  who  were  already 
handsomely  paid  for  the  camping-ground  and  for 
the  provisions  they  had  furnished  us.  Our  chief 
dragoman  being  greatly  annoyed  by  a  dog,  which 


DAN  AND  BANIAS.  343 

persisted  in  hanging  about  the  tents,  picked  up  a 
tent  mallet,  and,  poising  it,  threw  it  with  such 
precision  that  he  struck  the  animal  in  the  head, 
and  instantly  killed  it.  Word  was  carried  to  the 
village.  The  sheikh's  son  immediately  made  his 
appearance,  attended  by  a  group  of  apparent  des- 
peradoes, and  the  protracted  quarrel  began  in  due 
form.  All  the  evening  and  far  into  the  night  the 
angry  dispute  continued.  We  were  all  warned 
not  to  leave  the  camp,  as  there  might  be  parties 
lurking  around  for  personal  plunder.  Even  in 
going  to  the  river  bank  just  at  twilight  I  was  in- 
tercepted by  a  party  of  men,  who  menaced  me 
with  their  fists,  and  muttered  vengeful  Arabic  at 
me,  which  fortunately  I  could  not  understand. 
Careful  watch  was  kept  over  the  camp  that  night, 
but  no  further  outbreak  occurred  until  early 
morning,  the  hour  appointed  by  our  guide  for 
settlement,  when  the  delegation  returned.  The 
hour  seemed  propitious  for  negotiations,  and 
settlement  was  made  in  full  for  six  francs — about 
one  dollar  and  twenty  cents  of  United  States 
currency. 

After  the  declaration  of  peace  w^e  made  another 
visit  to  the  vicinity  of  the  fountain,  and  attempted 
to  decipher  the  mutilated  Greek  inscription  graven 
in  the  shell-shaped  niche  in  the  face  of  the  cliff, 
which  as  some  think  reads,  "The  Priest  of  the 


344  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

God  Pan."  If  so,  this  is  evidently  <a  relic  of  the 
old  Greek  shrine  of  Pan,  from  which  the  place 
derives  its  name,  Pan  being  the  Grecian  represent- 
ative of  the  Syrian  god  Baal.  Quite  an  extensive 
cave  exists  in  the  cliff  near  by,  which  in  connec- 
tion with  the  fountain  made  this  a  suitable  spot 
for  the  shrine  of  the  sylvan  deity. 

Of  this  Josephus  writes  in  connection  with  his 
statement  that  Herod  built  him  a  most  beautiful 
temple  near  the  place  called  Panium,  but  his  de- 
scription is  unlike  the  present  appearance  of  the 
place.  "  This  is  a  very  fine  cave  in  a  mountain, 
under  which  there  is  a  great  cavity  in  the  earth, 
and  the  cavern  is  abrupt  and  prodigiously  deep 
and  full  of  a  still  water ;  over  it  hangs  a  vast 
mountain,  and  under  the  caverns  arise  the  springs 
of  Jordan.  Herod  adorned  this  place,  which  was 
already  a  very  remarkable  one,  still  further  by  the 
erection  of  this  temple,  which  was  dedicated  to 
Csesar." 

This  temple  is  said  to  have  been  erected  by 
Herod  the  Great  in  the  year  20  B.C.,  while  the  one 
at  Samaria,  surrounded  by  the  consecrated  ap- 
proach, was  completed  shortly  afterward.  He 
built  Herodium,  on  the  Frank  Mountain  near 
Bethlehem,  from  B.C.  20  to  10,  Csesarea  on 
the  coast  nearly  within  the  same  period,  and 
consecrated  the  temple  by  which  he  replaced  the 


DAN  AND  BANIAS. 


345 


humble  building  of  Ezra  at  Jerusalem,  in  the  year 
B.C.  14.  He  was  a  great  builder  as  well  as  w^ar- 
rior,  and  left  traces  of  the  magnificence  as  well 
as  cruelty  of  his  reign  in  every  part  of  the  land. 
No  remains  of  the  temple  are  now  seen  near 
the  fountain,  but  south  of  the  village  we  came 
upon  the  ruins  of  three  large  towers.  Climbing 
to  the  top  of  one  of  these   crumbling  piles  of 


Bakias,  or  C^sarea-Puilippi.    {After  Photographs  of  Frith  and  Good.) 

masonry,  we  noticed  the  remains  of  a  large  arched 
bridge  adjacent ;  but  it  did  not  seem  to  be  as 
ancient  as  the  one  spanning  the  fountain  torrent 
near  our  camping-gTound.  "  Here,"  it  has  been 
said,  "are  the  ruins  of  the  once-famed  frontier 
city  Csesarea-Philippi.  Here  were  the  villas  of 
the  Roman  settlers,  and  in  their  midst  stood  the 
public  theatre,  where  Titus  on  his  return  from  the 
capture  of  Jerusalem  held  a  great  festival,  and 


346  TEiST  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

compelled  the  captive  Jews  to  act  as  gladiators 
and  fight  with  wild  beasts  in  the  public  arena." 

Josephus,  who  is  our  authority  for  many  par- 
ticulars in  the  lives  of  the  Ilerods,  affirms  that 
Philip,  who  afterward  succeeded  to  the  town  and 
districts  around,  proved  that  Lake  Phiala,  situ- 
ated some  four  hours  distant  to  the  southeast 
upon  the  mountain  heights,  was  the  source  whence 
this  fountain  is  supplied  in  an  occult  manner. 
Philip  "  had  chaff  thrown  into  Phiala,  and  it  was 
found  at  Paniura,  where  the  ancients  thought  the 
fountain-head  of  the  river  was,  whither  it  had 
been  therefore  carried."*  It  is  hardly  necessary 
to  add  that  it  has  been  proved  by  modern  scien- 
tists that  no  connection  exists  between  Phiala 
and  the  fountain  at  Banias,  and  at  present  there 
is  not  a  drop  of  water  in  the  cavern  at  the  latter 
place,  the  stream  now  issuing  from  a  pile  of  loose 
stones  at  quite  a  distance  from  the  cliff,  as  already 
stated.  Notwithstanding  the  alleged  experiment 
of  Philip,  Banias  is  now  regarded  as  the  most 
eastern  source  of  the  Jordan ;  and  though  the 
former  architectural  grandeur  of  the  place  is  now 
Mien  into  hopeless  ruin  and  decay,  yet  the 
natural  beauty  remains.  Dean  Stanley  calls  it  the 
Syrian  Tivoli,  and  Canon  Tristram,  with  his  usual 
regard   to  natural  beauty,  writes  :  "  Everywhere 

*  Wars:  Book  III.  10  :  7. 


DAN  AND  BANIAS.  347 

there  is  a  wild  medley  of  cascades,  mulberry  trees, 
fig  trees,  dashing  torrents,  festoons  of  vines, 
bubbling  fountains,  reeds  and  ruins,  and  the 
mingled  music  of  birds  and  waters." 

But  above  all  it  must  be  remembered  that 
Jesus  came  into  the  town  of  Csesarea-Philippi 
with  his  disciples  before  he  took  with  him  Peter 
and  James  and  John  into  the  high  mountain  apart 
and  was  transfigured  before  them.  This,  at  least, 
was  the  northernmost  limit  of  our  Lord's  travels. 
It  was  not  unsuitable  that  here,  upon  the  spur 
which  runs  like  a  graded  way  to  the  snow-clad 
heights  of  majestic  Hermon,  the  glory  of  the 
Master  should  be  revealed  to  the  wondering  dis- 
ciples. Here,  at  the  source  of  that  sacred  stream 
which  is  inseparably  associated  with  the  history 
and  poetry  of  the  two  dispensations,  it  was  fitting 
that  the  divinity  of  our  Lord  should  be  first 
openly  announced,  from  whence  it  might  spread 
through  all  lands  in  coming  time,  "  Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God." 

Our  travel  in  the  Holy  Land  was  now  completed. 
True  we  were  yet  to  see  Damascus,  Baalbec,  the 
Lebanon  mountains  and  Beyrout,  whence  we  were 
to  sail  for  Asia  Minor,  Constantinople  and  Greece. 
It  was  to  be  our  privilege  also  to  visit  many  of  the 
sites  of  cities  famous  in  classic  annals,  and  con- 
secrated by  the  labors  of  the  apostles  and  fathers 


348  TENT  AND  SADDLE  LIFE. 

in  the  Christian  Church.  But  the  land  of  the 
patriarchs,  judges,  kings  and  prophets  we  were 
now  to  leave  behind  us.  And  as  we  passed  up  the 
heights  of  Hermon  we  cast  a  parting  glance  over 
the  wide  valley  of  the  Jordan,  and  took  our  final 
leave  of  the  "  Promised  Land,"  which  Moses 
longed  to  enter,  but  onl}'-  saw  from  a  distance; 
since  hallowed  by  the  Saviour's  feet,  now  "  trod- 
den under  foot  of  the  Gentiles,"  awaiting  the 
dawn  of  a  brighter  and  better  day. 


II^DEX. 


Abraham  with  Isaac, 
Absalom's  tomb,  .  . 
African  fish  in  Galilee, 
Ai,  Location  of,  . 
'Ain  Barideh,  .  .  . 
'Ain  Belata,  .  .  . 
'Ain  Duk,  .... 
'Ain  el  Mellaha,  .  . 
'Ain  es  Sultan,  .  . 
'Ain  et  Tin,  Fountain  o 
'Ain  Feshkha,  .  .  . 
Ajalon,  Valley  of, 
American  legation,  . 
Anathoth,  Distant  view  of, 
Anderson,  Lieut.,  at  Nablii 
Andromeda,  Story  of, 
Antiquities  at  Banias, 

Capernaum,    .     . 

Samaria,    .     .     . 

Tiberias,    .     .     . 
Antonia,  Tower  of,     . 
Apples  of  Sodom, 
Aqueduct  at  Tabighah 


132 


Baca,  Valley  of,     .     . 

Banias,  Ruins  at,  .     . 

Baptism  in  the  Jordan^ 

Bathing  in  the  Dead  Sea 
Jordan  River, 

Beersheba,    .     .     . 

Bees  making  honey 

Beit  el  Khulil,  .     . 

Ben  Hur,  source  of  lege 

Bethany,       .... 

Bethel, 

Bethesda,  note,      .     . 

Beth-horon,  View  of, 

Bethlehem,    .... 
Church  of  Nativity 
inn  and  manger, 
view  eastward, 

Bethphage,  .     .     . 

Bethsaida  in  Galilee, 
Julias,  .     .     . 

Birds  of  Palestine,    , 


nd 


81 


PAGE 

202 
135 
321 
197 
296 
329 
190 
326 
,  192 
316 
187 

41 
121 
154 
217 

15 
345 
310 
229 
289 

71 
181 
307 


200, 
341, 


96, 


203 
345 
175 
171 
172 
337 
107 
106 
276 
136 
196 
69 
41 
108 
109 
50 
113 
136 
307 
287 
184,  266,  319 


PAGF. 

Boat  in  Galilee,     .     .     .      294,  309 

Booth  on  house-top,  ....  342 

Bread  like  a  stone,     .     .     ...  271 

Buffalo  in  the  Huieh,      ...  328 

Calvary, 127 

Camp  at  Gennesaret,      .     .     .  319 

at  Jericho, 183 

life, 332 

Canal  from  Haifa  to  Zerin,      .  321 

Capernaum,  Tell  Hum,  .     .     .  311 

Fountain  of, 316 

Carmel,  Mount,     .     .     .      246,  260 

Carpenter  at  Nazareth,  .     .     .  264 

Cascades  at  Banias,   ....  347 

Cave  at  Banias, 344 

of  the   Nativity,    Bethle- 
hem, ..."....  110 
Cffisarea,  on  the  coast,     .     .     .  344 

Philippi, 341 

Chamber,   Upper,  of  the  Last 

Supper, 120 

Chinnereth,  Lake  of,       .     .     .  286 

Chorazin, 262,  312 

Christ,  Ascension  of,       .     .     .  139 
asleep  upon  j)illow,       .     .  295 
at  Sea  of  Galilee,     .     .     .  317 
at    the    garden    and    Cal- 
vary,   127,  135 

at  the  well  in  Samaria,     .  210 

birth  at  Bethlehem,      .     .  110 
weeping  over  Jerusalem, 

136,  163 

youth  at  Nazareth, .     .     .  264 

Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  122 

Coffee  served  by  a  smithy,       .  197 

Colonization  of  Palestine,  .     .  l9 

Colonnade  at  Samaria,   .     .     .  228 

Corner  stone  of  temple  wall,    .  66 

Crusaders  at  Ramleh,     .     .     .  39 

Dalmanutha,     .     .     .     .     .     .  297 

Dan, 336 

Dancing    at    Jerusalem     and 

Shiloh, 161,  209 


350 


LSI)  EX. 


PAOE 

Dftvid's  street, 121 

toiiih,  traditional,    .     .     .  120 

Doiid  Sni lf)S,  18t) 

Dobomirs  victory 244 

Diir  I>i«un 195 

Diiiiii;;  uikUt  (lilTifulties,    .     .  49 

Dorciis.  ToiuIj  of. 24 

Dotliiin 2:V.\ 

Dress  of  iiieii  aini  women,  .     .  203 

Earthrinakc  at  Til)erias,      .     .     2K2 

Ebal 212 

Kl  Aksa,  Mns(|iic  of.  ....  66 
Kl  Karev,  Visit  from,     .     .     .     214 

KlKubab, 4tl 

El  Lisan 188 

Elijah  at  Wady  Kilf,  ...  190 
Eminaus,  Kfllonii-li,  ....  51 
En  Kogcl,  Well  ot,  .  .  .  (US,  130 
Encounter  with  Arabs,  .     .     .     34."? 

Endor,  • 24.-> 

Eriha,  Village  of,  .  .  177,  191 
Erinna,  the   monk   of    Mount 

Tabor, 27.') 

Esdraelon.  Plain  of,  .  .  240,  260 
Eshcol,  Vineyards  of,  .  .  .  104 
Etam,  Site*of, 107 

Farmers  at  Dan, 340 

Miseries  of, 242 

Farui-houses  secluded,  .  .  28,  94 
Fevers  at  Tabighah,  ....  315 
Fish  abundant  in  Galilee,  308,  320 
Fishermen  at  Tiberias,  .  294,  309 
Fishermen's  tents  and  traps,  .  309 
Flowers  at  Nazareth,  .  .  .  266 
among  Judean  hills,    .     .       91 

Food  of  the  peoj)le 329 

Fountain  at  Banias,  ....     342 

at  Dan, 239 

at  Nazareth, 257 

at  Shiloh 209 

of  Elisha,  ....      181,  192 
of  the  Virgin,  at  Jerusa- 
lem,     70 

Sealed 86 

Frank  Mountain, 114 

Gate  of  the  glen, 41 

Gazelle, 194 

Gennesaret,  Plain  of,  ...  298 
Gerizini,  View  from,       .     .     .     213 

German  colony, 20 

Gethsemane,  Garden  of,      .   58,  135 


PAOE 

Ghlwarineh.  Tribe  of,    ...  177 

Gibeah  of  Saul 153 

Gibeon, 147 

Gideon's  army, 245 

(Jilboa,  Mountains  of,    .       244,  260 

Gilead 186 

Gilgal,  Eriha, 177 

Girl  surprised  at  the  khan,       .  49 

Girls,  Hard  lot  of,      ....  225 

Golden  (Jatc,  Jei  iisalem,     .     .  69 

(Jrain  field  trampled  on,     .     .  92 

Grasshoi.jiers, 280 

Haifa,  Port  of, 259 

Hand-mills, 335 

Hanina,  Valley  of,     ....  61 

Haram  esh  Sherif,      ....  61 

Hasbany  River, 336 

Hazor,  Site  of, 336 

Hebron,  City  of, 96 

Hosjiice  of, 101 

Mosque  of, 98 

Hermits  at  Mt.  Quarantania,  .  189 

Hcrmon,  Mount, 347 

Herod  Antipas, 287 

the  Great,  buildings,  etc.,  344 

Herodium  at  Frank  Mountain,  114 

Hezekiah,  Pool  of,     ....  121 

Hill-top  at  Nazareth,     ...  259 

Hinnom,  Valley  of,    .     .     .   79,  130 

Hoffman,  Rev.  C,  Colony  of,  .  20 

Holy  Sepulchre  at  Jerusalem,  122 

Ceremonies  at,  .  .  .  .  127 
Horses  at  Jaffa,     ....     20,  22 

Houses  at  Nazareth,  ....  262 

Huleh,  Lake  of,     .     .     .      228,  334 

Hulhul, 94 

Hymns  about  Jordan,    .     .     .  177 

Inscriptions  at  Banias,  .     .     .     343 
Irrigation  from  the  Hasbany,     336 

Jabbok, 194 

Jackals, 182,  201 

Jacob's  ladder, 198 

well,  note,  .  .  .  210-218 
Jaffa  described,  ...  13,  17,  18 
Jehoshaphat,  Vallej-  of,  .  .  131 
Jenin,  Village  of,  .  .  .  .  .  234 
Jeremiah's  grotto,  ....  158 
Jericho,  Site  of,  .  .  .  185,  190 
Jeroboam's  calf  worshi]i,  .  .  338 
Jerome's  grotto  at  Bethlehem,  111 
Jerusalem,  Arrival  at,    .     .     .       53 


INDEX. 


351 


,  PAQE 

Jerusalem,  Population  of,  .     .       54 

Streets  of, 57 

Jesus  at  Nazareth,     ....     268 

never  at  Tiberias,    ...     289 

Jezebel  and  Ahab,      ....     247 

Jezreel, 242 

Jordan  described,       .     .       172,   176 

Length  of, 29;i 

plain, 194 

Source  of, 337 

Joseph's  tomb, 211 

Josephus  describes  Banias,      .     344 

Gennesaret, 299 

Jericho, 190 

Samaria, 230 

Tiberias, 288 

Joshua  at  Ai,    ....      192,  197 
reading   the  law   at  Slie- 

chem, 212 

52,  85 
144 
232 


Judea,  Hill  cnuntrv  of. 
Judges,  Tomb  of  the. 
Judith  and  Holofernes, 


Kades  in  Galilee,  .     .     . 
Keble's  lines  on  Jordan, 
Kelt,  Brook  of,  Chcrith,  166 
Kerak,  outlet  of  Galilee, 
Khan  described,    .     . 
Minieh,      .     .     . 
of  Good  Samaritan 
Yflsef.    .... 
Khurbet  en  Nusara,  . 
Kirjath-jearim, 
Kishon  River,  ... 
Kfllonieh  described,  . 
Kustul, 


of. 


Lake  of  Galilee,    .     . 

Last  view  of,  . 

Names  of,  .     . 

Sacred  associations 

View  of,     .     .     . 
Lapping  water,      .     . 
Law,  Place  of  reading, 
Lazarus,  Tomb  of. 
Lepers  and  dwellings, 
LoBd's  Su])per,  Place  of, 
Lydda  viewed  from  Ramleh, 


Maccabees,  Home  of, 
Macgregor  attacked, 
Magdala,      .... 
Maimonides,  Tomb  of. 
Mar  Elias,  Monastery, 


329 

293 

190 

292 

48 

302 

164 

322 

105 

45,  47 

240 

51 

50 


130 


304 
322 
286 
317 
285 
226 
212 
137 
143 
120 
34 

42 
340 
297 
293 

80 


Mary's  kitchen  at  Nazareth, 
Merom,  Waters  of,     .     .     . 
Mill  in  ojieration, .... 
Miracle  of  loaves  and  fishes, 
Mishna  comiiosed  at  Tiberias 
Moab,  Hills  of,      .... 
Mohammedan  superstitions, 
Monteliore's  garden,       .     . 
Moriah,  Sights  on,     .     .     . 
Mosque  el  Aksa,    .... 
Mound  at  Dan,      .... 
Mount  of  Beatitudes,     .     . 
Mudauwarah,  Fountain  of. 


PAGE 

256 

327 

327 

296 

283 

194 

167 

20 

64 

66 

337 

277 

300 


Nablfls,  Village  of,       214,221,226 

Nain,  Village  of, 250 

Nativity,   Church    of,    Bethle- 
hem,       109 

Nazareth, 255,  268 

Reflections  on  leaving,     .     267 

Neby  Samwil, 145 

Needle's  eye  in  gate,  .  .  .  160 
Nob, 154 

Oak  at  Dan, 337 

Oak  of  Abraham 101 

Oleanders 296,  301 

Olives,  Mount  of,  .  .  61,  134,  139 
Omar,  Mosque  of,  ...  63,  65 
Orange  orchards  at  Jaffa,    .     .       24 

Pan,  the  S3'rian  Baal,     .     .     .     344 

Papyrus, 328,  3.34 

Partridges, 201 

Passover  attended,  ....  140 
Peter's  vision  at  Jaffa,   ...       16 

Phiala,  Lake  of, 346 

Philistia,  Coast  of,  ...  .  9 
Ploughing  of  Elisha,  ...  325 
Ploughs  and  ploughing,  .  .  93 
Precipitation,  Mount  of,  252,  257 
Procession  in  David's  Street,  .     161 

Quarantania,  Mount  of  Tempt- 
ation,     177,  189 


Rabbis  at  "Tiberias,    , 
Rachel's  Tomb,  note, 
Ramet  el  Khulil,   . 
Ramleh,  History  of,   . 

Tower  of,    .     . 
Reed  flute,    ... 

shaken  by  the  wind, 
Rephaim,  Plain  of,     .     . 


283,  293 
81 
96 
39 
33 
327 
175 
79 


352 


iNi)t:x. 


PAGE 

Roa.l,  Old  Roman 193 

Roads  hifkin^j  in  Palestine,     .  80 

Rob  Hoy  on  tin-  Jordan,     .     .  340 

Robbers'  caverns 298 

Hock,  Sacred,  on  Mount  Mo- 

riah, 04 

Roses  of  Sharon 28 

Ronnd  fountain  at  (Jennesaret,  300 

Ruin  at  Sliiloh, 206 

Safed,  city  on  hill,  .  .  279,  322 
Samaria,  Hill  of,  .  .  .  227,  231 
Samaritan,  The  Good,  .  .  .  104 
Saniiiritims' synaf^ogue,        213,  222 

Sinflr,  Bethuiia, 232 

Scopus, \\\,  154 

Sharon,  Plain  of, 28 

Hose  of, 34 

Sliecliem,  Ancient,  ....  223 
Sheikhs  as  guides,  ....  164 
Shepherds  and  .shee]i,  ...  90 
Shepherds'  fields,  Bethlehem,       113 

Shiloh, 204,  209 

Shuneui, 248 

Siloani, 131 

Village  of, 130 

Simon  the  tanner's  house,  .  .  14 
Singing  of  girls  at  'Ain  Duk,      192 

Sinjil,       203 

Sirocco,  in  plain  of  Huleh,  .  330 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  .  .  .  188 
Solomon's  pools,    ....  86,   107 

porch, 68 

stables, 66 

quarries, 158 

Songs  of  native  girls,  .  .  .  191 
Sower,  Parable  of,  ....  315 
Stone  at  the  Sepulchre,  .  .  .  156 
Stones,  Foundation  of  temple,  67 
St.  Stejjhen's  gate,  View  from,       58 


Sycamore  tree  at  .Jericho, 


305, 
250, 


207, 


280, 


Tabighah,  I'.ethsaiila, 
Tiibor,  Mount,  .     .     . 
Tell  Huui,  Capernaum, 
Temple  at  Ranias, 

at  .Jerusalem, 
Terebinth  tree. 
Thief,  penitent.  Home  o 
Threshing-floor,     .      . 
Tiberias,  City  of,  .     . 
Titus  at  Banias,     . 

at  Kerak,  ... 
Tomb  of  David,     .     . 

of  Moses,    . 

of  the  .Judges, 

of  the  Kings, 
Tower  of  David,  Jerusalem,    . 

Towers  of  Banias 

Traditions  of  Mohammedans, 
Transfiguration,  I'lace  of,    273, 


PAor. 
190 

,  316 
271 
310 
344 
72 
209 
42 
92 
294 
345 
292 
120 
166 
144 
154 
119 
345 
323 
347 


Via  Dolorosa, 74 

Vineyards  at  Hebron,     .      102,104 

Volcanic  traces  at  Galilee,  290,  321 

Wailing  place  of  the  Jews,      .  74 

War  over  a  dog, 342 

Warm  springs,  Tiberias,     .     .  290 

Weeding  wheat,     .     .     .      210,  248 

Weeping  over  Jerusalem,     136,  163 

Well  of  David,  Bethlehem,      .  114 

Wilderness  of  Judea,      .     .     .  186 

Women  grinding  at  mill,     .     .  335 

of  Sychar, 210 

Poverty  of,     .       210,  214,  225 

wailing  at  the  grave,    .     .  83 

Zaeharias,  Tomb  of,  .     .     .     .  132 

Zion,  Hill  of, 119 


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